MD - 7 Dead, 39 Injured in Massive Apartment Explosion, Silver Spring, 11 Aug 2016

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Indy Anna

Indy Anna

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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 lunchtime press conference they were still working to identify the dead and uncover the cause of the overnight blast and fire, which tore through the Flower Branch Apartments displacing more than 90 residents.

<<snipped>>
https://www.washingtonpost.com/loca...c76bb4-5f7a-11e6-af8e-54aa2e849447_story.html


Young children among the missing:

http://wjla.com/news/local/injuries...losion-fire-at-apartment-in-montgomery-county
 
Some images showing destruction:

9b84da82-eee9-4cca-ab68-4fb144f511ce-large16x9_Screenshot20160811at1.02.47AM.png


http://wjla.com/news/local/injuries...losion-fire-at-apartment-in-montgomery-county


160811-maryland-explosion-mdl_d1223c2fda76159ba2a2fa5ad56e5f2d.nbcnews-ux-2880-1000.jpg


http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/maryland-apartment-explosion-30-hurt-7-missing-rubble-n628036
 
Those photos are horrific. RIP to those who passed. I pray there is no further loss of life.
 
Up to five people were still missing Thursday afternoon. Other residents were recovering from broken bones and other injuries suffered during the building collapse and when they jumped from upper floors.

[...]

The first 911 calls came in at 11:55 p.m. Wednesday, after many families had already gone to sleep for the night.

Federal agents are on the scene, and firefighters are shoring up the ruins of the apartment to search for those trapped in the rubble. By noon Thursday, police said the operation had shifted from a rescue to a recovery mission for other residents killed. Five people are still missing and unaccounted for, fire officials said about 1:30 p.m. Thursday.

http://patch.com/maryland/silverspring/search-victims-rubble-silver-spring-apartment
 
How horrifying! I wonder if it may have been a gas leak. What ever it was, it appears it was massive!
 
LaborDayRN said:
How horrifying! I wonder if it may have been a gas leak. What ever it was, it appears it was massive!
Click to expand...
Would federal agents be called in even if they suspect a gas leak?

It seems there have been quite a few explosions in recent years stemming from gas leaks, just as there have been bridge and highway collapses, due to eroding infrastructure and underground pipes.
 
Family That Escaped 'Thought It Was an Earthquake'


Claudia Loayes was sleeping when the explosion rocked her second-floor apartment in the Flower Branch Apartments in Silver Spring, Md.

Her husband ran to the front door to see what was happening. When he saw smoke in the stairwell, he quickly pushed Claudia, their daughter Wendy and another girl they were caring for out of bed.

As they were running down the stairwell it started crumbling beneath their feet, Loayes said. Bricks were tumbling and heavy smoke made it impossible to see anything clearly.

Read more at https://www.washingtonpost.com/loca...2d0792-5fcf-11e6-af8e-54aa2e849447_story.html
 
How terrifying for those families!

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
 
Damarna said:
How terrifying for those families!

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Claudia Loayes in the WAPO article told of her neighbors searching for their 9yo son. :(

Heartbreaking.
 
An off-duty police officer working part-time nearby heard the blast just before midnight Wednesday, saw large flames and began a "very heroic" effort to rescue people with other officers and firefighters, Hamill said.

Firefighters called to the four-story apartment complex found people on upper floors who needed help, Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein said at a briefing. Local television showed firefighters helping people down fire ladders.

[...]

Goldstein said natural gas furnaces and stoves are in each of the units. It took at least an hour and 45 minutes to put out the blaze and Washington Gas helped safely turn off gas, he said.

There's no leading theory on the fire's cause, Hamill said, but they are investigating reports from residents of a gas odor before the blast.

Read more at http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-maryland-apartment-fire-20160811-story.html
 
A neighbor's vacant house located about 3/4 mile away from mine blew up one night from a propane gas leak. The explosion was so loud that it shook my windows The single family house was leveled. The only thing left standing was a portion of the fireplace flue. And not much of it. Bits of debris was strewn in a wide circle all around the remains of the house. Some pieces were bigger than others, but it was really frightening to see how small most of the pieces were.

When gas leaks into an enclosed space and then ignites, it does a tremendous amount of damage.
 

Someone called 911 to report the smell of gas at a Silver Spring apartment complex weeks before an explosion rocked the same complex on Wednesday night, killing at least two people and injuring dozens more, Montgomery County officials confirmed on Thursday to CBS Baltimore.

[...]

It's not yet clear what exactly caused the building to burst into flames, though investigators suspect the fire was fueled by natural gas. Officials told WJZ's Rick Ritter someone made a 911 call July 25, complaining about the odor of gas in the building.

Read more at http://www.cbsnews.com/news/gas-smell-reported-weeks-before-deadly-explosion-at-maryland-apartment/


Sources tell ABC7 a third body was spotted and officials have reason to believe additional victims are in the rubble.

[...]

Officials also say they do not know exactly how many people are unaccounted for at this time. Families on scene told ABC7's Brad Bell that young children are among the missing.

Read more at http://wjla.com/news/local/injuries...losion-fire-at-apartment-in-montgomery-county

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The search for more bodies/survivors is very slow due to the instability of the building. The injured include 3 firefighters.

BBM I wonder what measures were taken as a result of that call. Was the utilities company notified? Was there a building inspection?
 
5th body found after apartment explosion; search continues

http://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2016-08-14/4th-body-found-after-maryland-apartment-explosion

A fifth body was recovered after an explosion and fire at an apartment complex in Maryland, authorities said Sunday evening as firefighters continued amid sweltering heat to comb through the rubble to search for several others who remain missing.

Two bodies were recovered Thursday and another one was found Friday. The victims have been transported to the office of the chief medical examiner in Baltimore and haven't been identified.

Eight people remain unaccounted for, including two children, the Montgomery County Police Department said. Police say they believe the first four bodies that have been found among the eight unaccounted-for people.
Click to expand...
 
Apartment Explosion: Local Investigators Done, New Federal Agency Joins Case

http://patch.com/maryland/silverspring/apartment-explosion-local-investigators-done-new-federal-agency-joins-case

Local authorities said Wednesday they have finished their investigation into the explosion and fire that killed seven people at a Silver Spring apartment complex, but a federal agency said its investigation into the disaster has just begun.

A seventh body was found in the burned remnants of the apartment building Tuesday evening. A total of seven victims — including two children — are believed to be missing in the rubble of the Flower Branch Apartments.

Montgomery Police have identified all the victims missing after the explosion but have not yet positively identified the seven victims whose remains have been taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore.
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Natural gas explosion led to Silver Spring apt. fire, ATF says

http://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2016/08/3-silver-spring-explosion-victims-positively-identified/

A natural gas explosion in a basement meter room was the cause of a three-alarm fire that engulfed a Silver Spring apartment complex last week and killed seven people, officials confirmed Friday.

There is no indication that a criminal act occurred, Board said.

ATF is still trying to figure out what ignited the gas, Board said.

“From the site of the explosion itself, we’re trying to find out what ignited or caused or started that explosion, as in the specific incident or specific item from inside that room.”
Click to expand...

The following people have been positively identified:

Augusto Jimenez Sr., 62
Maria Auxiliadorai Castellon-Martinez, 53
Saul Paniagua, 65

Hamill said he couldn’t provide a timeline for when the four remaining remains would be positively identified, although police had previously released the names of the missing people who are now presumed dead.

No additional victims are expected to be found in the rubble, Hamill said.
Click to expand...
 
Two Children's Bodies Identified in Silver Spring Apartment Explosion

http://patch.com/maryland/silverspring/two-childrens-bodies-identified-silver-spring-apartment-explosion

Five people have now been identified who died when a natural gas leak caused a devastating explosion and fire at a Silver Spring apartment complex, Montgomery County Police said Tuesday, confirming the deaths of two children in the wreckage.

Investigators are still working to unravel what caused the Aug. 10 disaster at the Flower Branch Apartments but say the explosion was caused by a gas leak in the meter room of the building. Leaking gas built up in the room until the explosion was sparked. Federal investigators will look at the gas transmission equipment for possible defects.
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On Tuesday, investigators identified two more victims as:

Deibi “David” Samir Lainez Morales, 8
Fernando Josue Hernandez Orellana, 3

Investigators continue their work to identify the two remaining victims: Saeda Ibrahim, 41, and Aseged Mekonen, 34.
Click to expand...

1471984092.jpeg
 
Earlier this week, crews from Washington Gas tested gas lines near the scene of the explosion. Several residents of the building said they had reported smelling the odor of natural gas in the weeks before the explosion. The fire department was called to the complex several weeks before the explosion to respond to reports of a gas odor.

http://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2...in-silver-spring-apartment-complex-explosion/
 
I'm curious what actions were taken after that report on July 25th.
 
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