DALLAS (AP) — An explosion engulfed a Dallas apartment building in a massive and deadly blaze Thursday, shaking nearby homes and flinging debris while firefighters were on their way to a reported gas leak, officials said.
Authorities would not provide an immediate number of deaths or how say how many missing people they were looking for hours after dozens of firefighters had brought the flames under control.
At least four injured people went to hospitals, according to Dallas-Fire Rescue.
It was unclear how many residents lived in the two-story building in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas. Some residents’ friends and relatives worried as they tried unsuccessfully to reach each loved ones.
“There have been fatalities at this point,” Dallas Fire-Rescue Deputy Chief Mark Berry said at a news conference, adding the mission has changed from rescue to recovery. “Let us work through the recovery phase and get a total number.”
Dozens of firefighters searched through the smoldering rubble of the building on the outskirts of downtown Dallas, even as colleagues continued to drench the blackened debris.
Berry said firefighters were responding to a call of a gas leak when an explosion happened.
“We had the cavalry coming," Berry said. "But the explosion had already taken place.”
Atmos Energy, a natural gas provider, said in a statement they were told by fire officials that a construction crew unrelated to the company had damaged a pipeline near the site of the fire.
Natural gas service to the area remained shut off, and company officials were working with investigators on-site, the company said.
Source: WPLG
