A 5-alarm fire rocked the Oak Cliff southwest of Downtown Dallas Thursday afternoon.
The explosion destroyed an apartment building in Oak Cliff near 9th and Patton.
Over 120 firefighters were on the scene digging through the rubble looking for victims.
At an
8:00pm briefing, Dallas Fire Rescue said there were three fatalities - two women and a child, and crews continue search through the debris.
Officials did say that they have switched from a rescue to a recovery mode following the explosion and fire.
The explosion was reported at about 12:45pm with reports of a gas explosion on East 9th Street.
There were witnesses who spoke of people suffering from burns and climbing through windows to escape.
"The fire is contained by members are still working on the scene to do primary searches," Assistant Chief James Rusk said. "We have a drone in the air to canvass the area to see if we have any victims."
As for injuries, Jason Evans with Dallas Fire Rescue says
"A total of three (3) people were transported to local hospitals with undisclosed injuries. One of them was in critical condition but stable, while the other two had minor injuries and are expected to be discharged. Two other people transported themselves to the hospital with minor injuries."
This is right next to W. H. Adamson High School and Dallas Police have set up a family assistance center there.
Authorities are asking anyone who lives at that complex to not go to the scene of the fire.
All affected families are being asked to go to Adamson High School nearby.
