Additional bodies will likely be found in the debris of an apartment explosion and fire in Maryland that has already claimed two lives and injured more than 30 people, police said Friday.
Advertisement
The county’s acting fire chief, David Steckel, said Friday that the recovery process has been slow because of how badly the building was damaged.
The four bodies have been taken to the office of the chief medical examiner in Baltimore to be identified.
“Our investigators are still working with family and friends of the building’s residents to confirm identities of people who remain missing”, Hamil said.
Police say search and recovery efforts will resume Saturday.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting with the investigation, and sent arson and bomb investigators to the scene.
“The building still presents as a collapse hazard, which is a unsafe situation for the personnel”, Steckel said.
About 160 firefighters battled the blaze, which was brought under control by Thursday morning.
Another woman shouted to others in between giving information about the building to a fire department dispatcher.
The Montgomery County Police Department said those people are believed to be in one of the apartment buildings at the time of the explosion.
Montgomery County police are working alongside federal agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to sift through the site in Silver Spring for clues to the cause of the August 10 blast, they said.
In all, 34 people, including the three firefighters, were taken to hospitals for treatment. Other people are missing, but authorities have not determined an exact number.
Many of those initially reported missing in the wake of the blast have since been located at area hospitals or with loved ones, Hamill told reporters at a news briefing.
Erick Jimenez was desperately trying to get information about his father, Caesar, who he said lived on the first floor and was not answering calls. Police later said they don’t have a firm number.
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.
Advertisement
Be proactive – Use the “Flag as Inappropriate” link at the upper right corner of each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
