Emergency teams continued their search Friday for additional victims following a devastating gas explosion that leveled a Dallas apartment complex and claimed at least three lives, including one child.
The blast occurred Thursday afternoon in the Oak Cliff neighborhood south of downtown Dallas as fire crews were responding to reports of a gas leak. Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesperson Jason Evans confirmed that a child and two adults died in the incident, while at least five other people sustained injuries requiring hospitalization.
The powerful explosion sent shockwaves through surrounding homes before igniting a massive blaze that completely destroyed the two-story residential building. A towering column of black smoke could be seen from miles away following the blast.
Officials have cordoned off multiple blocks around the destruction site with police vehicles and tape. Workers wearing bright yellow safety vests could be observed Friday morning picking through the charred debris while the smell of smoke still lingered in the air. Multiple fire trucks and law enforcement vehicles remained stationed at the scene.
The exact number of residents who lived in the apartment complex remains unknown, and authorities have not ruled out finding more casualties as the search progresses.
Evans indicated that by Thursday evening, firefighters had manually examined less than half the disaster area, noting that some sections would need excavation equipment to properly investigate.
Dallas Fire-Rescue Deputy Chief Mark Berry explained that emergency responders were already en route to address the gas leak when the explosion occurred.
“We had the cavalry coming,” Berry said. “But the explosion had already taken place.”
Atmos Energy, the local natural gas utility, issued a statement saying fire officials informed them that an unaffiliated construction crew had damaged a gas pipeline near the fire location. The company declined to elaborate further but confirmed they had shut off gas service to the area and were cooperating with investigators.
The National Transportation Safety Board announced Friday it would dispatch an investigation team to examine the incident, as the agency handles gas pipeline accident investigations.
Local resident Sherry Woods, whose apartment sits across an alley from the blast site, described smelling gas while sitting outside her front door with her boyfriend moments before the explosion nearly knocked her over.
“All you heard was ‘boom.’ I shook like something was hitting me. It was scary to hear something like that. I felt the building shake,” Woods said.
Emergency officials established a family reunification center at a nearby high school to help locate missing residents. Hours after the fire, Frances Rizo was still attempting to reach her friend who lived in the destroyed building.
“She’s not answering her phone,” Rizo said.
Nearby resident Trish Thompson observed the scene Friday morning from across a grassy field, noting the empty space where the apartment complex had stood just one day earlier. She recalled hearing a “loud rumble, something more like a train to me” and seeing smoke and flames.
“Pray for them,” Thompson said.
