At least three people, including a child, were killed and five others injured in a gas explosion that triggered a massive fire and destroyed a two-storey apartment building in Dallas's Oak Cliff neighbourhood on Thursday.
As firefighters worked the scene, friends and relatives of residents gathered nearby, many unable to reach their loved ones. The building, located south of downtown Dallas, was reduced to a blackened shell. A towering plume of black smoke was visible for miles, as reported by the AP.
Dallas Fire-Rescue Deputy Chief Mark Berry said crews were already responding to a reported gas leak when the blast occurred. “We had the cavalry coming,” Berry said. “But the explosion had already taken place.”
Atmos Energy, the local natural gas provider, said in a statement that fire officials informed them a construction crew, unrelated to the company, had damaged a pipeline near the site. Natural gas service to the area was shut off. Company officials were working with investigators on-site.
Resident Kacee Proctor said her mother had smelled gas inside the building a day earlier, but she did not think much of it at the time. Proctor was not home during the explosion. She was devastated that her cat, Shirley, was trapped inside the wreckage. “I’ve been sitting over there crying for several hours. I don't know what to do. This is all I have right here,” she said, gesturing to the clothes she was wearing.
She spent the afternoon talking with neighbors who had evacuated. Among them was a girl who had been home babysitting her younger sister. The girl carried both the child and their dog to safety.
Dozens of firefighters swarmed the scene. Some trained hoses on smoldering debris. Others removed burned lumber and wreckage by hand, searching for anyone trapped underneath. Dallas Fire-Rescue Assistant Chief James Russ gave an update from the scene. “The fire is contained, but our members are still working on the scene to do primary searches,” he said.
Spokesperson Jason Evans said crews had hand-searched less than half the scene by late Thursday. Some areas would require excavation. He did not rule out finding more victims. It was also unclear how many residents had been living in the complex at the time of the explosion. “This was enormous,” Evans said of the fire.
