At least three people, including a child, have been killed in an explosion and massive fire at a Dallas apartment building on Thursday. The blast shook nearby homes as firefighters were rushing to a reported gas leak, officials said. At least five people were taken to hospitals with injuries, according to Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesperson Jason Evans.
Explosion and Fire Details
It remains unclear how many residents lived in the two-story complex in the Oak Cliff neighborhood south of downtown Dallas. A towering plume of black smoke was visible for miles. Evans did not rule out the possibility of more victims as crews continued to sift through the charred remains of the building. By late Thursday, firefighters had searched less than half of the scene by hand, and some areas will require excavation. "This was enormous," Evans said of the fire.
Dozens of firefighters swarmed the neighborhood as friends and relatives of residents worried while trying unsuccessfully to reach their loved ones. Firefighters searched through the smoldering rubble even as colleagues continued to drench the blackened debris.
Response and Investigation
Dallas Fire-Rescue Deputy Chief Mark Berry said firefighters were responding to a call of a gas leak when the explosion occurred. "We had the cavalry coming," Berry said. "But the explosion had already taken place." Atmos Energy, a natural gas provider, stated that fire officials reported a construction crew unrelated to the company had damaged a pipeline near the site of the fire.
Kacee Proctor, a resident of the apartment building, said her mother had smelled gas inside a day earlier, but Proctor did not think much of it at the time. She was not home during the blast and was devastated that her cat, Shirley, was trapped inside. "I've been sitting over there crying for several hours. I don't know what to do. This is all I have right here," Proctor said, gesturing to the clothes she was wearing. She spent the afternoon chatting with neighbors who had evacuated, including a girl who was home babysitting her little sister and carried both the child and their dog to safety.
Community Impact
Natural gas service to the area remained shut off, and company officials were working with investigators on-site. Authorities set up a family reunification center at a nearby high school. Several hours after the blaze, Frances Rizo was still trying to find her friend who lived in the building. "She's not answering her phone," Rizo said.
Firefighters rushed to the scene as flames and black smoke billowed into the sky. Some trained their hoses on piles of smoking debris while others removed lumber and other burned wreckage to look for anyone trapped underneath. Little more than a blackened shell of the original building remained. "The fire is contained, but our members are still working on the scene to do primary searches," said Dallas Fire-Rescue Assistant Chief James Russ.
Julie Jensen said she was at home less than a block from the burning building when she heard a noise like an explosion that left her ears ringing. "I was sitting on my couch watching TV - stuff flew off our walls," Jensen said. She saw rising smoke and neighbors running when she looked out the window. She grabbed her family's cat and left, finding a nearby parking lot to wait until she knew it was safe to return.
Sal De La Rosa was at work at a nearby auto repair shop when "all of a sudden we just heard and felt this huge boom." He added, "We felt where the building kind of shook a little bit." A co-worker went outside and saw thick, black smoke rising into the air.
