Two people killed in explosion in Maryland suburb of Washington DC

SILVER SPRING, Md. — At least two people were killed and several remained missing after a natural gas explosion and fire leveled an apartment building late Wednesday in the Washington suburb of Silver Spring, Md., fire officials said.

Assistant Chief Russ Hamill of the Montgomery County Police told reporters Thursday that two bodies were found in the ruins and that the scene would be handled as a “death investigation.”

Hamill said 34 people, including three firefighters, were taken to the hospital. Many of the injuries were sustained by people jumping out of windows, according to Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein, WJLA-TV reported.

“People were dropping children and jumping out of other windows,” he said. “Everybody was getting out of the building as rapidly as possible.”

Injuries included abrasions, broken bones, burns and smoke inhalation.

Around midday Thursday, relatives of missing family members stood vigil near the burnt-out structure.

Goldstein said each unit contained a natural gas furnace and a stove. He said it took almost two hours to put out the fire and turn off the gas.

Montgomery County Fire and EMS spokesman Pete Piringer tweeted that more than 160 firefighters and emergency workers made “numerous rescues” at Flower Branch Apartments.

Rescue efforts were hampered by power lines and the natural gas fueling the blaze, he said. The fire displaced nearly 100 people and damaged multiple buildings, fire officials said.

Firefighters reported part of a building collapsed. Debris on adjacent streets and parking lots indicated an explosion, Piringer tweeted.

Tom Hucker, a Montgomery County council member, said he saw “a lot of people in some degree of shock all over the sidewalks,” when he arrived on the scene a few minutes after hearing the explosion from his home a few blocks away.

Flames towered over the three-story apartment building at the height of the blaze, he said. The explosion that ripped through the building left piles of glass and wood debris and sent pieces flying into a parking lot 150 feet away, he added.

Carlos Mendez, who lives in the complex three buildings down from the initial blast, said he bolted from his apartment as soon as the blast hit. “I felt something hit and shook the building,” he said. Mendez also said he saw someone jump from the building with his clothes on fire.

Paul Carden, spokesman for the American Red Cross, said about 60 of the nearly 100 displaced residents came to an emergency shelter set up at a local library. People came and went throughout the night as arrangements were made for temporary relocation of the displaced residents, he said.