People are still unaccounted for after explosion destroyed apartment
Multiple people are still unaccounted for after huge explosion destroyed four-story suburban DC apartment block before engulfing it in flames leaving 10 injured – three of them critically
- Multiple people remained unaccounted for Thursday afternoon, hours after a four-story apartment complex collapsed outside of Washington D.C.
- Fire Chief Scott Goldstein would not say how many people remained unaccounted for after firefighters conducted a second sweep of the Friendly Garden Apartment complex in Silver Spring, Maryland
- He said officials will ‘remain here until everyone is accounted for’
- Firefighters are now planning to bring in heavy machinery to tear ‘large parts of the building down, ‘ so they can ‘safely’ continue their search
- At least 10 people were injured in the explosion at around 10.30am, three of whom had ‘serious injuries’
- The cause of the fire remains under investigation
Multiple people remained unaccounted for Thursday afternoon, hours after a four-story apartment building collapsed outside of Washington D.C. and injured 10 people, three of whom are critically-ill.
Fire Chief Scott Goldstein, of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, announced in a news conference on Thursday afternoon that ‘several’ residents were unaccounted for after fire officials conducted a second sweep of the Friendly Garden Apartment complex in Silver Spring, Maryland. He said he couldn’t say exactly how many, as the situation remains ‘in flux.’
The fire was first reported at the apartment complex at around 10.30am, after an explosion tore through one of the buildings, with video posted online showing a fireball and cloud of smoke pushing through the outer wall of the structure as rumble sounds echoed.
Parts of the building could be seen collapsing before a chorus of screams could be heard, and a cloud of gray debris enveloped the area. A huge fire then ensued.
Officials have said at least 12 to 18 of the apartments completely collapsed in the explosion at around 10.30am, and the building was deemed ‘unsafe to occupy.’
Goldstein would not specify how many people remained unaccounted for Thursday afternoon, saying the number is ‘still in flux,’ but said: ‘Our goal is to remain here until everyone is accounted for.’
Authorities believe about 70 people live in the building, mostly senior citizens, FOX Baltimore reports, with Goldstein saying they believe a total of 100 people were displaced from the apartment building as well as the ones adjacent to it.
At least 10 people were injured in the explosion, Goldstein said, three of whom had ‘serious injuries.’ Others declined medical attention.
So Young Pak, director of media relations for Washington Hospital Center, told WUSA9 that three patients were treated at the MedStar Washington Burn Center, but did not provide an update on their conditions.
Fire officials are now planning to bring in heavy machinery to tear ‘large parts of the building down’ that are considered ‘fall hazards’ so they can ‘safely’ continue their search for victims.
The cause of the fire, meanwhile, remains under investigation, although some residents reported smelling gasoline before the fire erupted.
Goldstein said there were no prior calls about gasoline issues.
‘It is too early for me to say what initiated this,’ he said. ‘We are working through a wide range of concerns and possibilities, and focus is on life safety at this time.’
Video posted online showed the moment one of the Friendly Garden Apartment buildings exploded Thursday morning
Black smoke could be seen billowing throughout the sky following the collapse of the apartment building in Silver Spring, Maryland at around 10.30am
Emergency personnel immediately responded to the scene of the apartment complex and spent hours trying to extinguish the fire and put out hotspots
At least 10 people were injured in the explosion, with three in critical condition, according to Fire Chief Scott Goldstein
Officials have said at least 12 to 18 of the apartments completely collapsed in the explosion at around 10.30am, and the building was deemed ‘unsafe to occupy’
Crews from six or seven different fire stations responded to the call at around 10.30am, with 60 fire vehicles and as many as 150 firefighters from across the region descending on Lyttonsville Road, according to the Washington Post.
They arrived to find all four stories completely engulfed in flames, Goldstein announced, and Pete Piringer, the chief spokesperson for Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service, told CNN and they were able to make several rescues immediately.
More than 120 firefighters remained on the scene into Thursday afternoon conducting a secondary search of all of the adjacent buildings to ensure nobody was trapped.
They were able to get most of the fire under control by 2pm, and were continuing to work on extinguishing hotspots, according to FOX 5 DC.
But photos and video from the scene showed one section of the building completely gone – apparently leveled into a pile of smoldering wreckage.
Firefighters worked the scene using a K9 search to determine whether anyone was left under the rubble
More than 120 firefighters remained on the scene Thursday afternoon to get the situation under control
At least ‘several’ people remained unaccounted for Thursday afternoon, as fire crews brought in heavy machinery to tear down the last free-standing wall
Residents who were at the complex Thursday morning described what felt like an earthquake or a bomb just as the blast and fire erupted.
Tito Garcia, 40, said he was showering when he felt his apartment shake in one of the nearby buildings.
He said he thought the tenant above him had just dropped something, he told the Washington Post, until his neighbor Sylvia Bunyasi, 48, yelled that there was ash outside the window.
At that point, Garcia said he grabbed his 13-year-old son and tried escaping from the back of their building – but it was blocked off with debris engulfed in flames.
‘The flames looked like they were going to reach the trees,’ Bunyasi said. ‘The building was totally engulfed.
‘We could feel it; we could feel how hot it was,’ she added.
Black smoke billowed for miles following the collapse, and witnesses described seeing people try to jump from the windows, according to WUSA 9.
Steve Inman, who had just returned home from the gym and was preparing meals in his family’s house nearby, also said he heard a ‘big boom’ and rushed over to the apartment building to find the building had fallen away and the top was sheared off.
‘The first thing I saw was a woman and her child screaming, saying that she can’t get out,’ he told NBC 4. ‘I told her “Try to climb out.”
‘Then I saw the infant. So I was like “Just throw me the baby. Don’t worry – I’ll catch her.” I caught the baby.’
MoreCrews from six or seven different fire stations responded to the call at around 10.30am, with 60 fire vehicles and as many as 150 firefighters
Smoke continued to fill the air hours after the fire ended on Thursday afternoon. The cause is still under investigation
Residents’ personal belongings were strewn throughout the lawn after the apartment building collapsed
Buses on the scene provided shelter to the displaced residents. It is unclear when they will be able to return to their apartments, but officials hope they can at least grab their belongings by nightfall.
Montgomery County Health and Human Services announced they would be opening a shelter for the victims, and the Red Cross, as well as state and county officials said they were working on providing the victims with permanent housing,
and Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich called the situation ‘flat out depressing’ at a news conference earlier in the afternoon.
‘It was kind of horrifying when you look at a building and see it gutted and walls down,’ he said.
‘You see all the debris piled up and all you can think is “What happened to the people?”‘
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan also said his team is in contact with county officials and ‘have offered their full assistance in response to this fire and explosion in Silver Spring.’
Another press briefing is scheduled for 9am on Friday, and anyone who would like to help those affected by the fire can donate to MHPartners.org/families-affected-by-LyttonsvilleRoad-fire.
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