Firefighters search through the rubble of an apartment building in Dallas in the hours after an explosion and massive fire leveled the structure. Officials reported an unconfirmed number of fatalities and at least four hospitalizations as the search for victims continued. Photo courtesy Dallas Fire Rescue/X
May 28 (UPI) — An explosion and fire that leveled a Dallas apartment building on Thursday has resulted in at least some fatalities, city officials have confirmed.
The report of an unspecified number of deaths has added to a casualty list that already included at least four confirmed hospitalizations as a result of a gas leak and subsequent explosion at the residential building.
The early afternoon explosion in the Oak Cliff neighborhood ignited a five-alarm fire and sent plumes of thick black smoke into the sky above downtown Dallas.
“There have been some individuals who have been accounted for, and we’re working on getting a concise number for you,” Dallas Fire Rescue Assistant Chief James Russ told reporters, later adding, “Yes, there have been fatalities.”
Officials also said the “rescue” portion the across-the-board response to the explosion had concluded.
“At this juncture, we have gone from rescue mode to recovery mode,” Dallas Fire-Rescue Deputy Chief Mark Berry said. “We are still actively in recovery mode, and we may be in the this mode for the next 2-to-4 hours, and we may extend this operation even beyond that.”
The building was in flames when firefighters arrived at 12:49 p.m. CDT, 2 minutes after receiving calls about a gas leak, Russ said.
The intensity of the fire quickly necessitated a second alarm.
“Shortly after, it continued to escalate and upgrade, and at this time we are at a five-alarm fire,” the assistant chief said in an update delivered shortly before 4 p.m. “The fire is contained but our members are still working on the scene to do primary searches.”
Russ said firefighters launched a drone to canvas the area to “see if we have any victims around. At this time, it’s unknown how many possible fatalities we may have.”
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said the city is “going to do every single thing we have to do and that we need to do make sure that every affected family by this tragedy gets what they need.
“You have my commitment that we will do whatever we have to do to make sure that these folks are okay. But the most important thing right now is that we come together as a community and that we pray for everyone’s well-being.”
A family assistance center has been established at nearby high school, the mayor said.
Video from the scene showed a smoldering ruin where the apartment complex once stood.
Witnesses said they felt an explosion that shook the entire neighborhood.
“We live right here in the corner house, and we were inside, and then when we heard it, it was like a boom!” a nearby resident told KXAS-TV. “And at first I thought the tree fell on my house or something, or somebody hit my house because I live in the corner.
“So we came out here, and we’re just looking around, then we saw the smoke and the apartments have blew up.”
KXAS reported cited unnamed sources confirming that a contractor was working at the building and struck a gas line, triggering the explosion.
Some 11 residents remained unaccounted for in the hours after the explosion, the station reported.
