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Additional deaths expected in Silver Spring apartment fire

Posted at 7:07 AM, Aug 12, 2016
and last updated 2016-08-12 23:21:04-04
Police now say they discovered a third victim deceased from an explosion and fire in Maryland that has already left two people dead and a number of people unaccounted for.

At a news conference Friday, Montgomery County Assistant Police Chief Russ Hamill said he believes additional bodies will be found in the debris of an apartment building in Silver Spring. But he declined to speculate on how many people remain missing; fire officials on Thursday had initially said five to seven people were unaccounted for.

RELATED: 2 dead in Silver Spring apartment fire, explosion

Fire officials say search efforts have been slowed because the building is in danger of collapse and needs to be shored up.

The explosion late Wednesday night shook buildings more than a mile away. On Thursday, police confirmed two deaths, and more than 30 injuries.

Firefighters used ladders to rescue people from upper floors, and residents tossed children from balconies to safety below.
The explosion late Wednesday night sent debris hundreds of feet, and people more than a mile away reported the blast was strong enough to shake their homes.

As authorities investigate the cause of a deadly explosion and apartment fire in an apartment complex outside the nation's capital, they are looking into reports that residents smelled natural gas before the blast.

 

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