Firefighters search through the rubble of an apartment building in Dallas in the hours after an explosion and massive fire leveled the structure. At least four people were hospitalized as the search for victims continued. Photo courtesy Dallas Fire Rescue/X
May 28 (UPI) -- At least four people were hospitalized Thursday when a gas leak at a Dallas apartment building triggered a massive explosion and a five-alarm fire, city officials and witnesses said.
The building in the city's Oak Cliff neighborhood located just south of downtown was in flames when firefighters arrived at 12:49 p.m. CDT, 2 minutes after receiving calls about a gas leak, Dallas Fire Rescue Assistant Chief James Russ told reporters.
The intensity of the fire quickly necessitated a second alarm, he said.
"Shortly after it continued to escalate and upgrade, and at this time we are at a five-alarm fire," the assistant chief said in an update delivered shortly before 4 p.m. "The fire is contained but our members are still working on the scene to do primary searches."
