Austin EMS, Fire Crews Rush To Gatesville Hospital Explosion

AUSTIN, TX — Austin EMS and fire crews on Tuesday afternoon rushed to Gatesville, Texas — about 100 miles north of the capital city — to assist victims of an explosion at a hospital.

At least a dozen people were evacuated from the Coryell Memorial Hospital following an explosion that occurred at around 2:30 p.m. at a construction area at the site on Tuesday. By evening, officials confirmed one person has died in the explosion as 15 others were injured.

Four people reportedly were injured in the explosion, including one critically, a hospital spokesperson told KBTX-TV. Evacuated patients evacuated were taken to other area hospitals for medical treatment, according to reports. The building partially collapsed, forcing emergency crews to work amid a fire, the news station KCEN reported.

Related story: One Dead In Explosion At Coryell Memorial Health Hospital

A Texas-New Mexico Power Company spokesperson told The Associated Press the explosion knocked out power across a large portion of the city.Some 900 homes and businesses in Gatesville were initially without power before most of the power was restored just before 6 p.m., the utility spokesman said.

Austin-Travis County EMS sent five ambulances and dispatched a division chief and district commander to assist their Gatesville counterparts in the explosion's aftermath, officials said via Twitter. Local medics also are assisting in moving 50 nursing home patients from the area, officials said.

For their part, Austin fire officials sent three trucks, one battalion chief and 10 structural collapse technicians to assist. Austin Fire Department officials noted in their tweet they had received as state request to assist with the explosion-caused structural collapse.

Injured workers at the construction site reportedly suffered burn injuries, many of the victims rushed to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. Residents of the hospital's independent, assisted and nursing living facilities were taken to neighboring facilities and local churches, with plans to relocate them to more permanent overnight shelters by Tuesday evening, officials said.

David Byrom, the hospital's CEO, stressed during a press conference the people injured in the blast were construction workers and not patients or staff members at the hospital. It's unclear when the hospital might reopen.

This is a developing story. Patch will update as more details emerge.

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