The fire at the four-story Flower Branch Apartments complex happened shortly before midnight Wednesday, officials said.
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Mariama Turay, who has lived in the apartment complex for 30 years and spent the night in the shelter, said she chooses to view the explosion as a blessing, so loud that it woke everyone up and alerted them to get out.
Lisa Buffaloe, and others said the tragedy touched their hearts.
Police said an unknown number of residents remain unaccounted for. “Every time you move something, it has the possibility to impinge the integrity of the structure so we have to be careful and methodical”.
Monetary donations are greatly appreciated. Officials described heroic efforts to save people trapped in the fire.
The explosion late Wednesday night sent debris hundreds of feet, and people more than a mile away reported the blast was strong enough to shake their homes.
Hamill said that investigators have accounted for about 110 people residing in the building, and he said they are still asking family and friends to contact them “until we can account for everyone who is in the building”. When asked about reports of the smell of gas in the area before the explosion, officials said they are at the preliminary stages of investigation.
Assistant Montgomery County Police Chief Russ Hamill said the two people found dead had not been identified, and the search continues for several unaccounted residents. About 34 others, including three firefighters, were hospitalized afterward for treatment, officials said in a news release. Most have been released from the hospital.
Nine hours after the explosion, firefighters on a ladder truck were still using a hose to put out the last of the fire and smoke still was rising from the building.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service Chief Scott Goldstein had said earlier Thursday that between five and seven residents could be unaccounted for.
The Post said the explosion ripped a gaping hole in parts of the buildings, littering wood, glass, and bricks at least 50 yards. About 90 people have been displaced by the blaze. “There were, like, people jumping out the window, like screaming for help and kids screaming because a lot of kids were scared”, she told WJLA.
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Carden said those displaced are primarily Spanish speakers. This includes the preparation of derivative works of, or the incorporation of such content into other works.
