The bodies of all three victims were transported to the Chief Medical Examiner’s office in Baltimore for autopsy and possible identification, the police department said on its website.
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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.
It is unclear which came first, the large fire or the explosion at the Flower Branch Apartments. “The movement of debris itself presents a challenge. It’s too unsafe”, Dave Steckel, the county’s acting fire chief, told reporters Sunday. Police did not release the identities of the dead and said an unknown number of residents are still unaccounted for.
Local officials continue to pinpoint those unaccounted for.
Many people reported hearing an explosion that shook nearby buildings and it was even felt by people about a mile away from the complex.
Ogren says crews will be searching for those still missing and looking into the cause of the blast.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting with the investigation, and sent arson and bomb investigators to the scene. Residents reported smelling gas before the explosion, and officials responded to calls for a potential gas leak at the complex on July 25.
Officials said the search for more victims has been slowed by the unstable condition of the building, as well as extreme heat conditions.. The fire, which displaced 90 residents, was put under control within two hours. About 34 others, including three firefighters, were hospitalized afterward for treatment, officials said in a news release.
Fire fighters look through the debris of a four-story building that was destroyed in an explosion that has left up to seven people missing in Silver Spring, Maryland.
“Our investigation leads us to the conclusion that a number of people are still within the remains of the buildings”, Montgomery County Assistant Police Chief Russ Hamill told reporters. An undetermined number of others remain unaccounted for and are not believed to have survived.
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Paul Carden, regional disaster director for the American Red Cross, said Friday that 60 families will likely need extended assistance.
