Two dead, 31 injured in Md. explosion, fire
The Washington Post
Two people died and 34 were injured after a massive blast and fire leveled a Silver Spring, Md., apartment complex, forcing residents to toss children from upper floors and flee collapsing buildings, fire officials said Thursday.
Authorities said at a lunchtime news conference Thursday that they were still working to identify the dead and uncover the cause of the overnight blast and fire at Flower Branch Apartments, which displaced more than 90 residents.
Firefighters continued to search for missing residents of the Piney Branch Road apartments Thursday afternoon, but backed off figures released earlier that five to seven people were unaccounted for.
Montgomery County executive IsiahLeggett said at the news conference that officials had received a call July 25 about the smell of gas at the complex, but it remained unclear if a leak played a role in the blast.
Tim Firestine, the county’s chief administrative officer, said the county received a call at 10:16 p.m. July 25 about a smell of gas at one of the complex’s buildings and fire and rescue personnel responded at 10:20 p.m. They cleared the scene at 10:32 p.m., Mr. Firestine said, and the county is still trying to determine who responded and what tests, if any, were conducted.
The blast occurred shortly before midnight Wednesday.
“People were dropping children and jumping out of other windows,” Scott Goldstein, Montgomery County fire chief, said at a morning briefing Thursday.