A fire and explosion at an apartment complex in Montgomery County on Wednesday morning caused a structural collapse, according to firefighters, injuring 12 people.
Around 8:30 in the morning, the fire was reported. in Gaithersburg’s 800 block of Quince Orchard Boulevard.
Ten of those hurt were transported, according to Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein at a morning press conference on the scene.
Eight people were taken, including four adults and four youngsters, and he claimed that two of them had critical injuries while the other eight had mild to moderate ones. Two people, he claimed, had treatment and were still present. There have been no reported fatalities.
A fire and explosion at an apartment complex in Montgomery County on Wednesday morning caused a structural collapse, according to firefighters, injuring 12 people. David Kaplan of FOX 5 gives us the most recent information.
At first, Goldstein claimed that the fire, which was still burning, was being fueled by gas coming from one of the buildings’ basements. at a 2 p.m. press conference.
In a statement on Wednesday, he said that the fires had been put out and that Washington Gas technicians had been able to cut off the gas to the affected properties. He noted that some smoldering fires could keep burning for several hours in the explosion’s debris.
12 people were hurt in explosion and fire at an apartment complex in Gaithersburg, Maryland. @Fox5DC https://t.co/pT41NtmOpI
— Tom Fitzgerald (@FitzFox5DC) November 16, 2022
According to a statement issued by Washington Gas to FOX 5, they react to all odor calls.
A licensed technician was summoned and did an inside leak assessment and discovered no signs of a gas leak, according to a statement from Washington Gas. “The last odor call Washington Gas received and responded to at a unit in this building was on Sept. 22,” the company said.
The chief claimed that the explosion seriously damaged buildings 826 and 828. Investigators could not specify how many people particularly are impacted, but they did note that 24 inhabitants of the complex as a whole were displaced.
At 2:00 p.m., Goldstein reported that nearly all of the occupants of both buildings have been located. According to him, building 826’s unit is home to the missing residents, and detectives are trying to get in touch with them.
In the video of the aftermath, neighbors can be seen rushing to save the wounded after a fire and explosion caused a structural collapse at an apartment complex in Montgomery County on Wednesday morning, injuring 12. Stephanie Ramirez of FOX 5 spoke with a few of those neighbors and got their opinions.
Firefighting personnel reportedly searched the entire apartment building but found no other active gas leaks. Police dogs also scoured the area but found nothing in the trash.
According to officials, work to stabilize the affected structures will start on Wednesday night once a crane is brought to the area.
A third report from officials on an explosion and fire in Gaithersburg apartments
A fire and explosion at an apartment complex in Montgomery County on Wednesday morning caused a structural collapse, according to firefighters, injuring 12 people.
On Wednesday afternoon, officials gave a third update, stating that the cranes will be delivered to the area and that the affected buildings’ stabilization work would start right away.
According to officials, tenants who don’t live in the 826 or 828 buildings can start going back to their houses on Wednesday night.
Officials from the Department of Health and Human Services have put up a shelter and a website for fundraising to assist displaced citizens. The Bohrer Park shelter, which is close by and is located at 506 South Frederick Avenue, is available to locals in need. The Red Cross is also helping those who have been relocated.
Maintenance personnel reportedly used a painter’s ladder to rescue a homeowner from a balcony before the firefighters arrived, according to Goldstein. He added that Red Cross personnel were on the spot to help the refugees.
In response to claims that locals had called 911 to report the smell of gas before the explosion, Goldstein stated that authorities were unaware of any such calls this morning.
The explosion’s cause is still being looked into.
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