3 dead, including child, after explosion levels Dallas apartment complex
Three people were killed after a massive fire tore through an apartment complex in Dallas following an explosion on Thursday, according to authorities.
Two adult women and a child died, the Dallas Fire Department said. Five others were injured, including one person who was in critical but stable condition, officials said.
Following a search through the rubble of the leveled building, first responders did not find any additional victims, authorities said Friday.
Dallas Fire-Rescue Chief Justin Ball told reporters he has "sort of an idea" of what the ignition source was, but did not want to speculate amid the ongoing investigation.
Firefighters had responded to a report of a gas leak and were about to begin evacuating the apartment building when an explosion occurred, Ball said.
The blaze broke out shortly before 1 p.m. local time and continued to "escalate and upgrade" to a five-alarm fire, according to Dallas Fire Rescue Assistant Chief James Russ. Approximately 120 firefighters responded, authorities said.
"This was quite a challenge from the very beginning, because this was expanding with multiple aspects of hazards that had to be addressed," Dallas Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Scott Pacot said during a press briefing Thursday.
The city will be providing hotels for the people who have been displaced, officials said.
The apartment complex, Clyde Apartments, is located in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas, near East Ninth Street and Patton Avenue.
The attorney for the property's current owner said in a statement Friday that they have been trying to assist with the investigation and tenant needs.
"The owner is shocked by this outcome and likewise mourns this outcome," the attorney, Geoff Henley, said. "We still do not know how many perished in this fireball. The owner has had the property for about a decade and his management team was close to several of these tenants. Everyone is devastated."
Atmos Energy, a natural gas distributor, said that fire officials reported that a "construction crew unrelated to Atmos Energy damaged a natural gas pipeline" near the apartment complex Thursday afternoon.
"Atmos Energy technicians are onsite working with Dallas Fire Rescue and other emergency management personnel," Atmos Energy said in a statement. "Natural gas service in the immediate area is off, an investigation is ongoing, and Atmos Energy crews remain on site to provide support."
According to Henley, the apartment complex and neighboring property are part of a pending sale to O-SDA Industries, which intends to build new housing, including affordable units. He said an engineering firm, Engineering Consultant Services (ECS), was conducting soil testing for the new construction and that crews hit a gas line while boring.
O-SDA President Megan Lasch said ECS was contracted to provide a geotechnical report and referred further questions to the engineering firm or Dallas Fire.
"We are still trying to understand the exact timeline of the events and there is an investigation underway to determine the exact cause," she told ABC News.
"As a leader in providing affordable housing solutions to communities across Texas, and as our company was in the process of purchasing the Clyde property, we will closely follow and cooperate in the investigation into the cause of this tragedy," she said. "We are also working with other property owners and service agencies to help secure housing and address the needs of any displaced residents."
In a statement to ABC News, ECS said that no ECS Southwest personnel were on site at the time of the explosion "so our knowledge is limited." They added that the "cause is under investigation, and we don't think it would be appropriate to speculate while that work is ongoing."
"This is a terrible tragedy, and our thoughts are with everyone affected," ECS said.
Fire Chief Ball told reporters Friday that he did not know the exact type of work being done, saying, "All of that is part of the investigation."
"The main focus so far has been on rescuing the victims, finding the victims, and now they're seeing it slow down, it's time to find out why - why it happened, that's the phase we're in now," he said.
The city had no active work in that area at the time of the incident, a spokesperson for the Dallas Department of Transportation and Public Works told reporters.
Neighbors told ABC Dallas affiliate WFAA they heard a "very big explosion" and "loud boom," then heard people screaming and saw smoke.
One neighbor told the station the windows in her apartment were blown out, while another said he could feel the ground shake.
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson noted during the press briefing that it was the first day of summer vacation for the Dallas Independent School District.
"We need to pray for these folks who are affected by this and for our entire city," Johnson said.
