A Dallas apartment building partially collapsed Wednesday after firefighters were called to investigate a potential carbon monoxide leak.
Dallas Fire-Rescue said a gas odor surrounded the building around 10:30 a.m. local time and had been reported as early as Tuesday night. Shortly thereafter an explosion occurred, producing heavy smoke and flames.
Seven people, including at least four firefighters, were injured and taken to local hospitals. Two of the fire fighters are in critical condition and the others are stable, Dallas Fire-Rescue said.
A spokesperson for the fire department said at a press conference Wednesday afternoon that the situation was “fluid” and it was unknown whether there were additional casualties inside the building.
“Please pray for our firefighters and for the civilians who have been injured,” Dallas mayor Eric Johnson tweeted.
The cause of the explosion remains unknown.
“There is no information on what caused the explosion, as this will be a joint investigation involving DFR, along with multiple local, state and federal agencies, to determine exactly what happened,” Dallas Fire-Rescue said.
