More Bodies Found In Silver Spring Apartment Blast; Total Now at 5

Alicia Abelson
WMAL.com

WASHINGTON — (WMAL) Two more bodies were pulled from the rubble of the Flower Branch Apartment Complex in Silver Spring this weekend, bringing the total number of deaths to five.

Officials believe the five recovered bodies are among the eight people unaccounted for. Names and photos of those eight people have been released in the hopes that someone may know their whereabouts. The apartment complex caught fire last week after a massive explosion, completely destroying the building and leaving over 100 people homeless.

(3/3) Photos of individuals believed to be missing from fire. Add’l info.can be found here: https://t.co/E82tMinB3y pic.twitter.com/e6XuFW5sFB

— Montgomery Co Police (@mcpnews) August 14, 2016

Recovery efforts have been slowed due to the excessive heat in the area. “We are diligently going through the site. Because of the heat, because of the unsafe conditions, we are not able to get through as aggressively as we would like to.” said Montgomery County Executive Ike Legget at a Sunday news conference.

The county hopes to get permanent housing for those impacted by the fire before the start of school. Legget says that cash donations and volunteers to help care for those residents are still needed.

The cause of the fire and explosion is still under investigation.