Two hotel guests remain missing and one person sustained critical injuries after an explosion leveled about 25 percent of a Motel 6 in Bremerton, Wash. on Aug. 18. The explosion happened just 30 minutes after several employees, hotel guests and one person in the area reported a gas leak behind the hotel. A gas worker employed by the Cascade Gas Company, one of the first to investigate the gas leak report, remains in critical condition, suffering from second- and third-degree burns said Bremerton Police Chief Steve Strachan, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
The explosion occurred around 8:30 p.m. local time, shaking the surrounding area. Prior to the blast, first responders evacuated employees and hotel guests, but two guests remain missing. Investigators are trying to determine whether the missing guests where at the scene at the time of the blast or away from area. A third guest believed missing was later found near the hotel.
Firefighters responding to the call reported being blown back as far as 20 feet, according to NBC News. The powerful blast also shattered the windows of nearby homes, with one neighborhood resident reporting being blown out of bed. Other neighborhood residents reported hearing a very loud sound and seeing a black cloud at the time of the blast, reported King 5 News.
Emergency crews battled the blazed resulting from the explosion for more than 90 minutes. The whereabouts of the two missing hotel guests remain unknown.
