Fire investigators said the gas leak caused by a vehicle that crashed into the natural gas meter of a Lexington hotel is what led to an explosion that destroyed part of the building. Four minutes after the fire department arrived at the Fairfield Marriott Inn & Suites in Beaumont on Sept. 7, a large section of the hotel exploded causing catastrophic damage. However, investigators were unable to determine the ignition source that sparked the explosion. Fire investigators said the driver of a 2014 Kia Soul was trying to park his vehicle on the west side of the hotel when the vehicle suddenly accelerated, jumped the concrete curb, travelled across the sidewalk and struck the hotel's gas meter. The meter was sheared off below the valve and the leak couldn't be stopped because of the way the meter was damaged.