9 hurt in Baltimore apartment explosion

Seven firefighters and two residents were injured in an explosion likely caused by gas at a Northeast Baltimore apartment complex Wednesday afternoon, according to fire officials. Firefighters had been responding to a fire at the building on the 4400 block of Bowleys Lane after 3 p.m. when the explosion happened. “Once units began to enter the building to make the attack, we ended up with an explosion,” said Roman Clark, a spokesman for the Fire Department. Clark said the displaced residents would be able to stay in a vacant building that is part of the apartment complex. Most of the victims suffered first- and second-degree burns and were taken to the burn center at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. One resident was in critical condition at the hospital, Clark said, while six firefighters at Bayview were in fair condition. A seventh firefighter being treated at Shock Trauma was stable, he said. Although he could not say with 100 percent certainty that it was a gas explosion, Clark said it was the most logical explanation. The president of the local firefighters union said all seven injured firefighters were stable and that most of them would be released from the hospital Wednesday night. a.m. According to police, the charter bus was carrying 41 students from St. Vincent Pallotti High School in Laurel to a retreat at River Valley Ranch in Manchester. Seven passengers and the driver of the bus were transported to Carroll Hospital Center with minor injuries. Police said an investigation into the cause of the crash is continuing.