Downtown Fort Worth businesses still struggling 1 month after Sandman Hotel explosion
FORT WORTH – Over a month since an explosion at the Sandman Hotel in downtown Fort Worth injured 21 people, local businesses in the area are still feeling the impacts of the blast.
"I saw the blast happen so it was pretty intense," said Jessica Knott, the assistant general manager of Thompson's Bookstore on the corner of Houston Street and West 8thstreet.
Thompson's Bookstore is a cocktail and cigar lounge located across the street from the Sandman Hotel. Before the explosion, they were used to getting a lot of business from hotel guests.
"It was a destination point for a lot of people [from] out of town, staying especially at the hotel next to us so it's greatly impacted us," said Knott. "From a business owner we know that we'll be alright but from our staff point of view we really want to get across that our staff is suffering they work for tips so really and truly they've suffered the most."
CBS News Texas captured drone images showing the gaping hole the explosion created on West 8th Street, showing windows of the hotel still boarded up. And while there's barricades up protecting pedestrians, local businesses here say the construction zone is an eye sore that's preventing customers from stopping by.
"We're a month later and we still get calls asking if we're open, what time we open, because it looks closed we're right next to the street that's closed," said Knott.
They'd love to see the street reopened and for someone to be held accountable for the loss of business.
"We just want answers, we still don't have any and someone should absolutely be held accountable for lost wages that's all we can hope for," said Knott.
The law firm O'hanlon Demerath & Castillo also located on West 8th Street told us they're considering filing a lawsuit on behalf of businesses there that have been impacted by the blast.
