'Explosion' report at St. George hotel turns out minor

Police and firefighters rushed to the scene of what was initially reported as an explosion at a St. George hotel late Tuesday morning.

However, St. George police Sgt. Sam Despain said there had been no big blast, as feared, just a smaller, unspecified bang — perhaps involving a minor natural gas leak — in the kitchen of the Lexington Hotel, 850 S. Bluff Street, about 8 a.m.

"A maintenance worker was doing work in the kitchen. Apparently there was a gas leak in the wall which was ignited," Despain said.

The wall sustained some damage, but there was no comprising of the building's structure.

A female employee was in the kitchen at the time of the incident, which remained under investigation. She was examined and treated at the scene for minor injuries.

"There was no fire involved," Despain said.

remims@sltrib.com

Twitter: @remims