A massive explosion and fire at a Silver Spring, Maryland apartment building has sent at least 10 people to area hospitals. Several people currently are unaccounted for after the catastrophic blast that occurred in the Washington, D.C. suburb on Thursday. The cause of the Maryland apartment building explosion is not yet known.
A nearby resident’s outdoor security camera videoed the Maryland apartment building explosion. The video shows that the blast completely obliterated one end of the structure.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service Chief Scott Goldstein has reported on the injuries at the blast site. He confirmed that at least 10 people are now hospitalized Goldstein advised that three of the people are now in the hospital are suffering from serious injuries. The exact nature of these injuries is not specifically known at this time. In addition, the names of those who have been injured have not been released to either the media or public at this time.
Goldstein also confirmed that “several people” are unaccounted for as of Thursday night as well. Goldstein clarified that information is not yet available as to how many people currently have not been accounted for in the search and rescue effort. At a press conference on the matter of casualties, Goldstein underscored that “Our focus is to remain here until everybody is accounted for.”
The Maryland apartment building explosion was so significant that it has impacted two other residential buildings adjacent to the blast site. Officials have declared the pair of adjacent buildings as being unsafe to reoccupy at this time. The three buildings, including the one where the explosion occurred, are home to approximately 100 people, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service.
A full search and rescue operation has not initiated as of Thursday evening. That process is being hampered to an unstable freestanding wall at the explosion site. Heavy equipment is necessary in order to remove the unstable wall as a prelude to commencing full-on search and rescue efforts.
Dogs have been sent into the area which consists of rubble from the collapsed apartment building. According to Goldstein with Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, the dogs appear to be alerting. This means that the canines have identified either bodies or survivors in the rubble.
Flames shot from the roof of the remains of the bomb-blasted apartment building. The fire department advised that firefighters were able to get most of the blaze under control during the afternoon on Thursday.
Fire rescue authorities have indicated that they had hopes of escorting residents to the trip of impacted apartment buildings in order to allow these people the ability to retrieve belongings. The hope was to have this accomplished sometime later on Thursday afternoon or evening. There is not confirmation that this retrieval process has yet been accomplished (at least as of Thursday night).
The displaced residents of these apartment buildings are being taken to either shelters or hotels. They will be at these locations for a yet undetermined period of time. They will be at these locations until a determination is made that the adjacent buildings can be reoccupied. The building where the explosion occurred is not habitable.
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has publicly stated that his team are in contact with Montgomery County officials about the Silver Spring apartment complex explosion. Governor Hogan advised that the state fire marshal, state police, and Maryland emergency management officials were supporting the efforts of local emergency personnel.
If you have been injured or suffered other losses in the Maryland explosion accident, the legal team at The Doan Law Firm is here for you. Our firm provides personal injury victim representation from our offices serving the Washington, D.C. metro area, including Silver Spring. Our offices are located at:
The Doan Law Firm
1101 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Suite 300
Washington, D.C. 20004
(202) 792-0000
You can connect with a Silver Spring apartment building explosion lawyer any time of the day or night by calling us at (202) 792-0000. We can schedule an initial consultation with an experienced Silver Spring apartment building explosion lawyer at our offices, your home, or virtually online. There is never a charge for an initial consultation with a Maryland explosion accident lawyer.
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