Smoldering heat and the danger of collapse are hampering recovery efforts after the massive apartment fire that killed at least two people this week in a Maryland suburb of Washington, fire officials said Friday.
Advertisement
More than 100 residents have been accounted for in the wake of the explosion, which rocked the apartment building Wednesday night, killing three people and injuring dozens of others. He said the conditions of the bodies made it impossible for officials to identify the age or sex of the victims. Police have accounted for 110 residents, but are not saying how many are still missing.
Emergency personnel view the scene of an apartment building fire in Silver Spring, Md., Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016.
Two bodies were found on Thursday. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Dan Ogren said Friday that the bodies of two people have been removed from the building and taken to the Office of the chief Medical Examiner for autopsies and identification.
It’s not yet clear what exactly caused the building to burst into flames, though investigators suspect the fire was fueled by natural gas. Special Agent Jeffrey Mathews with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it’s possible the blast could have been incendiary in nature.
Many people reported hearing an explosion that shook nearby buildings and it was even felt by people about a mile away from the complex.
“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.
Man Says He’s Smelled Gas for Some Time Before ExplosionWhile the official cause of the fire has not been released, resident Adrian Boya told News4’s Derrick Ward he’s been smelling gas for some time now. About 34 others, including three firefighters, were hospitalized afterward for treatment, officials said in a news release.
“Tragically, that doesn’t seem that that’s a possibility at this point”, Hamill said.
“I got so scared”.
Initially, fire officials said they were looking for five to seven people who were unaccounted for.
“People were dropping children and jumping out of other windows”, Goldstein said.
Search and recovery efforts will resume Saturday morning.
The Red Cross was working with families to determine their needs. While Montgomery County is one of the nation’s wealthiest communities, the neighborhoods inside the Capital Beltway in this section of Silver Spring are working-class areas, home to large numbers of Central American immigrants.
Advertisement
Clothing was seen strewn on sidewalk treetops in video footage provided by fire officials.
