# Hotel Pathfinder explosion

On January 10, 1976, the Hotel Pathfinder in Fremont, Nebraska, United States, exploded due to a gas leak, causing a fire. The six-story hotel building collapsed, resulting in 20 deaths and 40 injuries. The explosion also severely damaged seven surrounding buildings, including the Love-Larson Opera House. Hotel Pathfinder itself was demolished in February 1977.

## Background
### Hotel Pathfinder

Hotel Pathfinder was a six-story hotel constructed in 1917 located on the southeast corner of 6th & Broad streets. The hotel included 115 rooms and had a restaurant, ballroom, and a barbershop. Notable guests included Helen Keller, Zasu Pitts, John F. Kennedy, Barney Oldfield, and Billy Sunday.
On February 23, 1954, natural gas had seeped through the west wall of a vaulted sidewalk and ignited. The explosion resulted in a broken part of the concrete sidewalk at the west entrance, caused broken windows, and destroyed basement partitions.
A day before the explosion, on January 9, 1976, two gas company employees conducted a gas leak survey in downtown Fremont. They discovered no leaks during the survey.
After the explosion, the hotel was demolished in February 1977.

### Pre-explosion

On January 10, 1976, at 4:50 a.m., a man smelled gas while entering the west vestibule of Hotel Pathfinder. He notified the night desk clerk, who checked the second and third floors, but detected no smell of gas. The day desk clerk arrived at 6:35 a.m. and checked the gas appliances in the kitchen but did not find any gas.
At 8:02 a.m., a bakery employee from across the street of the hotel made a phone call to the gas company to report the strong gas odor that he believed came from the alley behind the bakery. She made a phone call to two out of the three available servicemen, with the second informing his supervisor, who went to the hotel. A maintenance man arrived at 8:25 a.m., entered the basement, and checked the gas boilers. They found that no gas was leaking from the boilers or from the three gas meters. The man then went under the vaulted sidewalk on the northwest corner of the hotel and detected gas. He then ran out of the basement and told the clerk to call the third number. They received no response.
By 9:10 a.m., three gas company supervisors and a serviceman arrived at the hotel and used a combustible gas indicator. When the indicator was inserted into the north foundation wall, it indicated 100% gas. They then told the maintenance man to evacuate the building immediately. However, when the explosion occurred at 9:32 a.m., no occupants had evacuated.

## Explosion

At 9:32 a.m., natural gas, which was leaking into the building through a two-inch plastic pipe, ignited. The hotel exploded and fire started quickly, both destroying the hotel and surrounding properties. Due to the cold weather, some rescue workers slipped on the ice near the hotel. The explosion destroyed a concrete sidewalk across the street from the hotel and gutted the northwest corner of the hotel. Persons who were in that corner fell to the basement with rubble.
Survivors were immediately transferred to the Memorial Hospital of Dodge County. On January 11, the death count was estimated to have been 10, with 11 estimated to have been missing. By January 12, 13 bodies had been pulled from the wreckage, while six remaining were presumed dead. That same day, the estimated death count was estimated to be at 20. In total, the explosion killed 20 people and injured over 40.

## Aftermath

Seven nearby buildings were damaged as a result of the explosion, with five being demolished. One of these buildings, the Love-Larson Opera House, survived the impact mainly due to its seven-inch-thick walls. Demolition of the Hotel Pathfinder was announced to take place in spring 1977, due to the cold weather at the time of the explosion. Demolition of the hotel was completed in February 1977.
In August 1999, the National Fire Protection Association listed the Hotel Pathfinder explosion as the deadliest fire in Nebraska during the 20th century.