A four-story apartment building outside Washington DC collapsed and left 10 people injured, three of whom are in critical condition.
But many people remain unaccounted for after the explosion destroyed the Friendly Garden Apartment Complex in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Fire Chief Scott Goldstein of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service said in a news conference that ‘several’ residents were still unaccounted for after a second sweep was conducted.
The incident was first reported at around 10:30 am after the blast destroyed one of the buildings.
A video shared online shows a cloud of smoke and a fireball as parts of the building collapse before screams could be heard.
At least 12 to 18 flats collapsed in the explosion, officials said, and the building was deemed ‘unsafe’ to occupy.
The chief did not mention how many people remained unaccounted for but the “goal is to remain here until everyone is accounted for.”
80 fire vehicles and around 150 firefighters from across the region rushed to the scene, the Washington Post reported.
Pete Piringer, the chief spokesperson for Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service, said to CNN that firefighters arrived to find all four stories engulfed in flames but they managed to make rescues right away.
Over 120 firemen stayed on the scene to conduct a secondary sweep to make sure nobody was trapped.
According to FOX Baltimore, about 70 people live in the building and most of them are senior citizens. Goldstein said they believe 100 people were displaced from the building and the others next to it.
The cause of the fire is being investigated but some residents reported smelling gasoline before the explosion.
“It is too early for me to say what initiated this,” Goldstein said. “We are working through a wide range of concerns and possibilities, and focus is on life safety at this time.”
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