At least 10 people were injured in a “catastrophic” explosion that trapped residents in a Maryland apartment building, authorities say.
A “mass casualty” event was declared after fire ripped through the building on Quince Orchard Boulevard in Gaithersburg at around 8am on Wednesday morning, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesman Peter Piringer said in a live broadcast from the scene.
Ten people were taken to hospital, two in critical condition, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service chief Scott Goldstein told reporters.
Four children were among the moderately injured requiring hospital treatment, Mr Goldstein said.
Several other people remain unaccounted for, he said. It’s not clear if they were in the building at the time.
Video from a nearby home captured the sound of a loud blast. Images shot by passers-by showed a gaping hole in the apartment building.
“The building has sustained a significant explosion, resulting in a structural collapse,” Mr Goldstein told reporters.
Maintenance workers who were on-site at the time of the blast used a painter’s ladder to rescue two residents from the burning building, the fire chief told reporters.
The cause of the blast was yet to be determined but it appeared there was a “gas-fed” fire in the basement of the apartment complex, which housed six condos, Mr Goldstein said.
The neighbouring buildings have been evacuated and natural gas has been shut off, he said.
A man who was working in a nearby office told NBC Washington “it felt like we were bombed”.
“My heart goes out to everyone,” he said.
Mr Piringer said more than 100 fire and rescue personnel responded to the “catastrophic explosion”.
