Photo: Montgomery Council / Courtesy
Ten people were taken to health care centers, but several people are missing and three buildings have been declared unsafe after the explosion , fire and building collapse in Montgomery County, Maryland.
Due to this, security fences were installed around the perimeter and will remain during the Thursday night until several days later . Work started again Friday morning, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesman Pete Piringer said.
“There are people missing,” reported Fire Chief Scott Goldstein. At the moment, he could not specify how many, but it is estimated that there are several, and he assured that it is not known why they were not found, saying that they may be at work.
In addition, added that three people were taken to the hospital with serious injuries and some 80 people were displaced.
The explosion occurred in a building at Friendly Garden Apartments, in 2405 Lyttosville Road in Silver Spring, near the 10: 80 Thursday morning. Both that building and two others in the residential complex at 2401 and 2411 Lyttosville Road were declared unsafe for habitation, Goldstein said.
Noted that 150 and 150 firefighters responded to the incident. “It is too early to speculate” on a cause, or to say where in the building the flames started. In addition, he said that dozens of people will be taken to another site.
🚨 Update! Explosion at the Friendly Garden apartment complex in Silver Spring.
➡️ 225 displaced residents
➡️ 14 injured
➡️ To donate and help affected families you can do so at the following link: https://t.co/ Bju0g1l2vx pic.twitter.com/SfJKj9kJkx
— Montgomery Council (@MoCoCouncilMD) March 4, 2022
The chief stated that there were “possible signs of alerts” by the search dogs, which could indicate that bodies or survivors could be in the rubble of the building that exploded.
After the fire was extinguished, firefighters worked on “building stability issues,” Goldstein said. For this reason, heavy machinery will be used to move the “high and large parts” of the s remains of the building, such as the remaining walls, so that the crews can continue their work.
“This is going to be a multi-party event. days. Our focus is to stay here until everyone is accounted for,” he stated.
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