Explosion at Dallas Apartment Building Leaves at Least Three Dead

Lillie Davidson

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

(TNS)

A gas explosion at an Oak Cliff apartment complex killed at least three people, including a child, and injured at least five others, officials with Dallas Fire-Rescue said Thursday evening.

The explosion was reported around 12:47 p.m. at The Clyde apartments, a two-story complex located at the intersection of Patton Avenue and East 9th Street, officials said, not far from the Bishop Arts District.

Dallas Fire-Rescue crews were on the way to the apartments to investigate reports of a gas leak when the explosion happened, said James Russ, the assistant chief of Dallas Fire-Rescue. At the time that Russ spoke, the fire had been upgraded to five alarms.

The three deceased people were located in the debris of the building, and included two women and one child of unknown gender, Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesperson Jason Evans said in an update around 8 p.m..

Emergency crews had searched through about 40% of the apartment debris when Evans spoke to the media, and the chance still remains that the death toll could rise, Evans said. Crews will remain at the site overnight and throughout the next day to continue search efforts and maintain the integrity of the scene.

Evans described the explosion as “enormous,” and began to cry as he spoke about the possibility of deceased children in the rubble. Still, he said, the department had no official count on how many residents were still unaccounted for.

Operations have transitioned from search and rescue operations to recovery updates, Dallas Fire-Rescue officials said in an update around 5 p.m. Thursday.

While recovery operations continue, Evans said around 8 p.m., the operation now also involves excavation efforts in hopes to minimize the amount of time it takes to complete work at the scene.

The explosion occurred when construction crews ruptured a gas line near the complex, according to KDFW. Officials with Atmos Energy and the City of Dallas both said the construction crews were not working for them.

“I want to encourage our entire city, this entire state and entire nation, to come together and pray for all the people, all the families who are affected by this tragedy we are experiencing here today in our city,” Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said. “We ask everyone to please pray for our Dallas Fire-Rescue personnel who are still fighting this fire. They do an amazing job under very, very difficult circumstances like this. And we just pray that they will be safe while they try to save and help every single person they can affected by this.”

A resident of The Clyde told WFAA that she was home at the time of the explosion and “heard a big commotion.”

“I grabbed [her sister.] I went with her to the restroom, locked the door, trying to cover her. And the top floor of the apartment, it was like destroyed and shattered into our apartment downstairs, and even the window was breaking,” the resident said.

Displaced residents have been provided hotel rooms by the City of Dallas, Evans said. Anyone still looking for a resident of the apartment complex is urged to call 311 for more information.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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