14 Injured, Over 200 Displaced After US Apartment Building Explosion
Washington, March 4: At least 14 people were injured and over 200 people are displaced, a day after an explosion destroyed parts of an apartment building complex in the U.S. state of Maryland, officials told reporters on Friday. Three of the injured remain in serious condition as of Friday morning, while all residents of the four-story building in Montgomery County, just several kilometers outside of Washington, D.C., have been accounted for, according to the officials. Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein said three of the six buildings in the complex have been declared unsafe to preoccupy, as emergency crews continue to search through the debris. Investigators reportedly believe a maintenance man accidentally cut a gas line, instead of a drainpipe, releasing gas likely to cause the explosion.
“That is an investigative theory along with several others until we get through all of the debris and a thorough examination of the building,” Goldstein said. “We cannot rule out any of our active theories and cannot identify that that was the cause of the explosion.” Firefighters rushed to the scene on Thursday morning and were able to help some residents escape before the apartments were consumed by fire and collapsed.
UNI
