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You are reading news and information on LongIsland.com, Long Island’s Most Popular Website, Since 1996. You have now viewed your allowance of free articles. The building was still at risk of collapsing, so it had to be shored up before recovery efforts and the investigation could continue, County Fire and Rescue Service Division Chief David Steckel said.
Resident Veronica Jarreto said Thursday that she felt lucky to not have been home when her apartment was destroyed.
Two bodies were found Thursday, and a third was recovered Friday, police said.
So far, authorities have found two unidentified victims in the rubble of the blast and subsequent fire.
The bodies have been taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for autopsy and possible identification. It all started late Wednesday night and continued into the overnight hours on Thursday.
Initially, fire officials said they were looking for five to seven people who were unaccounted for.
“We have the predominant parts of the fire extinguished and we are now trying to transition into that search mode”, Goldstein said.
It is unclear which came first, the large fire or the explosion at the Flower Branch Apartments.
“People were dropping children and jumping out of other windows”, Goldstein said. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms was assisting the investigation.
Montgomery County Assistant Police Chief Russ Hamill declined to say at a news conference how many people may still be unaccounted for in the explosion, which happened late Wednesday night.
The blast and fire just before midnight at the four-story complex in Silver Spring, Maryland, injured 34 people, including three firefighters.
“I’m blessed I have a home and I know a lot of people who don’t so it’s important we give back to the community that in essence have given back to us along the years”, said Buffaloe. Firefighters used ladders to rescue people from upper floors, and residents tossed children from balconies to safety below.
County officials were trying to help anxious family members account for missing loved ones.
Officials reported heavy fire conditions after what they believe was an explosion caused by natural gas.
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Two people were killed, others are missing and more than 30 were taken to hospitals for treatment. Police did not release the identities of the dead. As WJZ’s Tracey Leong reports, at a news briefing Friday, police said they expect the death toll to rise.
