As debris from a partially collapsed Gaithersburg condo complex continued to smolder, firefighters monitored the explosion site overnight Wednesday.
One family who lived in the building remain unaccounted for, Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein said at a press conference at the scene.
Specially trained dogs helped search the rubble but didn't detect anything. Fire officials say they hope the occupants weren't home.
About 8:40 a.m. Wednesday as residents were going about their daily routines, there was a gas-fed blast that was heard and felt over a wide area. It brought down a section of the building while others nearby were bowed.
A huge fire erupted, and smoke was visible for miles.
Before firefighters arrived, local residents and workers ran to help.
The fire chief credited a quick-thinking maintenance crew using a painter’s ladder with rescuing two people from the flames before firefighters arrived on the scene, including a resident from a rear balcony, WTOP reported.
Linson Matute Mendez headed back inside the building where he said he was able to help three injured people out through the blinding smoke, including a mother and her baby.
It wasn't easy to find them. “We were shouting, telling them to come out but they couldn’t because there was a lot of smoke and all we could see was their phone flashlights.”
At first, Mendez said he thought the baby was dead in his arms, only to see it revive in the fresh air. The baby and mom are currently in the hospital. Their conditions are not known.
However, Goldstein said none of the four children transported to the hospital suffered serious injuries.
While gas was a component of the blaze, he said it's premature to say whether gas was the cause of the explosion.
"It is too early to make conclusions..." Goldstein said at the final press briefing Wednesday night.
While some residents told firefighters they smelled gas, the 911 center didn't receive any calls reporting it. During his first press conference, the chief urged people to call 911 if they detect an odor.
The last call for a leak at the complex was on Sept. 22, but it was confined to an appliance, according to reports.
