Hereford House goes boom!

%{[ data-embed-type=”image” data-embed-id=”57150c5a89121ca96b964694″ data-embed-element=”aside” ]}%

By CHARLES FERRUZZA

Today at 11 a.m., when the crew at the original Hereford House at 20th and Main should have been opening the doors for lunch, the 51-year-old steakhouse was closed for business. The building was, in steakhouse parlance, well-done.

The block of 20th Street in front of the restaurant was closed by police barrier and two KCPD cars, lights flashing. Yellow tape cordoned off the perimeter of the building. Across the street, KSHB-TV reporter Marissa Cleaver and a cameraman were taping an interview with the general manager of the The Blend Coffee House, updating the station’s earlier lead-in news story.

An explosion rocked the neighborhood at about 12:45 a.m., according to most news reports. Although the exterior of the building looks damaged, it’s still standing — but maybe not for long: The structure is reported to be “a total loss.”

A national response team with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms has been called to investigate the cause of the explosion.