About 160 firefighters and medics were on the scene at the 8,600-block of Piney Branch Road, during what was eventually declared a mass casualty incident.
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The cause of the explosion and fire remains unknown, but the atf has roughly 30 people working the investigation, assisted by the Maryland Public Service Commission, which will review utility records. Three firefighters were also hurt battling the blaze. Hamill said four detectives were sorting through information Thursday evening trying to determine exactly who is missing following the explosion and fire.
People more than a mile away reported feeling their homes shake in the blast just before midnight Wednesday night in a working-class neighborhood just two miles from the District of Columbia border. Officials described heroic efforts to save people trapped in the fire. Officials told WJZ’s Rick Ritter someone made a 911 call July 25, complaining about the odor of gas in the building.
“We can not determine the age or gender of people we took out of the Arliss Avenue address due to the conditions of the bodies”, Montgomery County Assistant Police Chief Russ Hamill said.
Two victims were found on Thursday, a third was found on Friday, a fourth on Saturday and a fifth was located on Sunday afternoon, according to police.
The blast and fire Wednesday in the four-story complex injured 34 people, including three firefighters.
Officials said the search for more victims has been slowed by the unstable condition of the building, as well as the extreme heat conditions. Hospital officials said most of those were released later in the day. He earlier said that no one still inside the building is expected to be alive. The fire, which displaced 90 residents, was put under control within two hours.
“Every time you move something, it has the possibility to impinge the structure, so we have to be careful and methodical in how we do it”, Montgomery County Acting Fire Chief Dave Steckel said. Police later said they don’t have a firm number.
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“People were dropping children and jumping out of other windows”, Goldstein said. “Our investigators will continue with this endeavor until we can account for everyone that was within the buildings”, Hamill said.
