Investigators are trying to figure out exactly what caused the explosion at a South Dallas apartment building yesterday that left hundreds of people homeless.
The explosion at the Highland Hills apartments sent several people to the hospital Wednesday afternoon including 4 civilians and 4 Dallas firefighters.
As the last report, 3 of the Dallas firefighters are in critical condition at Parkland Hospital, but Dallas Fire Rescue Chief Dominique Artis says they’re expected to be okay.
All 4 civilians injured in the blast have been discharged from the hospital, along with one the Dallas firefighters.
Investigators say there were 10 apartment units in the building that exploded and are completely damaged. The blast caused the building to partially collapse and catch on fire, and ultimately officials say it had to be torn down for safety reasons.
The Office of Emergency Management is in the process of coordinating resources and assistance for approximately 300 residents of an estimated 200 households from these apartments and a Red Cross emergency relief site in the Tommie M. Allen Recreation Center. All buildings in the complex will undergo a thorough investigation and inspection process to allow residents’ safe return.
As for what caused the explosion, investigators say they still don’t know. They’re sifting through the rubble and working with federal agencies to figure it out.
Atmos Energy released a statement saying they have "verified that our system is operating as expected, and we have found no indication that our system was involved." Atmos says that after verifying that gas was shut off to the meter that supplies the apartment complex, our highly trained technicians began performing safety checks of Atmos Energy’s system prior to the explosion.
Related
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow NewsRadio 1080 KRLD