Heather Curtis
WMAL.com
Silver Spring, MD — (WMAL) An unknown number of people remain missing following Wednesday’s explosion and fire at the Flower Branch Apartments.
“Our investigation leads us to the conclusion that a number of people are still within the remains of the buildings on Arliss, 8701 and 8703. Our investigators are still working with family and friends of the building’s residents to confirm identities of the people who remain missing,” Assistant Montgomery County Police Chief Russ Hamill told reporters at a 2 p.m. briefing.
The two bodies found in the rubble Thursday were so badly burned they can’t yet determine the ages or genders, let alone the people’s identities.
Everyone in the hospital has been identified. A total of 100 people have been accounted for at this time.
Sixty families are homeless. The Red Cross and county’s department of health and human services are working to give them necessities and find them places to live.
The cause of the explosion and fire remain unknown. Arson investigators and accelerant detecting dogs with the Baltimore office of the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms were brought in early Wednesday morning. The bureau’s Jeffrey Matthews said they will not release any of their findings until the investigation is complete.
Originally natural gas was believed to have caused the explosion, but now officials say they aren’t sure about that. They are looking into calls made by residents July 25 reporting the smell of gas in the area.
That investigation and the search for bodies is being hampered by the fact that the building is still unstable and could collapse. Investigators will be able to go inside what’s left of it after it is stabilized.
Copyright 2016 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. (Photo: Heather Curtis)
