Search and recovery efforts end; everyone accounted for after deadly explosion destroys Dallas apartment building, officials say

At least three people have been killed and five have been injured after a large explosion and subsequent fire on Thursday at a Dallas apartment building. Dallas Fire-Rescue conducted recovery efforts overnight, as some residents were still unaccounted for.

At about 10:30 a.m. Friday, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins told CBS News Texas that recovery efforts had concluded; however, he didn't say if any residents had been recovered. DFR remains on scene as the National Transportation Safety Board and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) begin their investigation into what happened. 

During a Friday afternoon news conference, DFR Chief Justin Ball explained the timeline of events and said everyone who lived in the building was accounted for according to records from the property manager. The property, The Clyde apartments, formerly known as the El Ricardo, had 22 units, 19 of which were occupied.

Ball confirmed the three people killed were from two different units, two in one and one in another. The victims, two women and a child, have yet to be publicly identified. 

Gas leak call turns tragic 

At his Friday news conference, Ball said DFR got a call about a gas leak at an apartment building in the 400 block of East 9th Street at 12:47 p.m. Thursday. The first fire crews arrived two minutes later.

Ball said they immediately set up a perimeter to block roads, searched for the leak and geared up to evacuate residents. The building exploded between 10 and 15 minutes after their arrival, Ball said, prompting the massive response of over 71 units and 120 firefighters.

He praised the firefighters and said they did everything correctly once they arrived on scene to help the residents. 

"They did everything they were supposed to do right before they were going to enter and evacuate the complex, then it exploded," Ball said. "I would say that if it would've exploded a minute later this would be a much worse situation."

Crews contained the flames by 4 p.m. and spent the night and early hours of Friday dousing hot spots and making sure everyone who lived there was found. 

"There was great heroics done on this day," Ball said. "The building next door, if it was not for our firefighters, first responders and, tactics, that almost certainly would have gone up in flames also, and there'd be a lot more casualties."

Witnesses recalled a young girl being pulled from the rumble, as residents yelled and ran from the scene.

DFR also evacuated residents from a neighboring apartment building to the east and a small house to the west.

"To see a building completely destroyed like that, there are a number of things that come to mind. And one of the things you have to consider is that we as first responders… There are a number of things that we are before we're first responders, and that is, excuse me," DFR spokesperson Jason Evans said Thursday night, fighting through tears. "We're parents. And with school being let out and with possibilities of who could be in the building, they really weigh on the heart."

Officials confirmed Thursday evening that two women and one child were killed as a result of the explosion. Paramedics transported three victims to different hospitals, while two additional victims went to the hospital by other means.

Oak Cliff residents on finding their loved ones

The conditions of the survivors are unknown, as friends and family members hoped to find their loved ones after the explosion. 

CBS News Texas spoke to a woman who said her friend, Sylvia Collins, is one of the victims who remained unaccounted for after the blast. Collins is known as a community advocate and is the precinct chair of the Dallas County Democratic Party.

Mission Oak Cliff, a church and food distribution center, said they are helping at least 23 people impacted by the deadly explosion. The church collected donations of essential items on Friday morning.