News

Whitehall Hotel To Stay Closed For Repairs After Explosion Injures Two

The Whitehall Houston
The Whitehall Houston

The Whitehall Houston will be closed without power until Friday, a week after firefighters were called to the scene of an explosion at the hotel in Downtown Houston.

According to the Houston Fire Department, three contractors were working on the electrical breaker underground at the hotel in the 1700 block of Smith when the blasts happened. One contractor was rushed to Memorial Hermann hospital after suffering life-threatening injuries, according to HFD Deputy Chief Blake White. A second worker suffered hand injuries.

Black smoked billowed from a nearby manhole, burning the exterior of the burning and staining the surrounding area. The hotel's director of sales and marketing denies an explosion took place, but numerous firsthand accounts in the Houston Chronicle describe the sound and smoke as people near the hotel fled the area. Investigators say a surge overloaded the circuit breaker and caused it to explode, ABC 13 reports.

The Whitehall has relocated its guests and is accepting new reservations beginning Nov. 17.

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Related Topics: Downtown Houston , The Whitehall
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's Houston Newsletters
Related Stories

Houston-Area Manufactured Home Community Offering Units Below $90K

Historic Brooklyn Hotel To Be Turned Into Ritz-Carlton-Branded Condos

Daniel Negari Buys Downtown LA Hotel For $34M

16K SF Restaurant, Event Space Opens At 5POP Office: The Houston Deal Sheet

Luxury Marriott Hotel Will Take Space In Charlotte Office Conversion

SpaceX Sues Texas AG, Grimes County Over Terafab Project Information

Houston Healthcare's Race For Space Hits A Data Center Roadblock

Republican Midterm Convention Could Fill More Than 5,000 Hotel Rooms In Dallas

3,500-Home Margaritaville Active Adult Community Coming To Texas City: The Houston Deal Sheet

Houston Industrial Supply Boom Tempered By Lack Of Equity

Union Contracts Expire At 46 Chicago Hotels, With Potential Strike Looming

Houston Firm Hires Former Floor & Decor Exec As President Of New Offering