Police ID 8 Missing In Silver Spring Explosion; 4 Bodies Found
BALTIMORE (WJZ)-- Authorities say a fourth body has been recovered following an apartment explosion in Silver Spring, Maryland earlier this week.
At a news conference on Sunday, authorities released the names of eight people missing believed to be in one of the apartment buildings involved in the blast.
Police have yet to identify the four bodies recovered in the blaze, but say they are among the right people unaccounted for.
"We have managed to receive information on eight people who are believed to be in the involved apartment buildings of Arliss Street at the time of the fire and are currently unaccounted for," Montgomery County Assistant Police Chief Russ Hamill.
- Saeda Ibrahim, 41
- Augusto Jimenez Sr., age 62
- Maria Auxiliadorai Castellon-Martinez, age 53
- Aseged Mekonen, age 34
- Deibi "David" Samir Lainez Morales, age 8
- Oscar Armando Ochoa, age 55 – NOTE: No photo available
- Fernando Josue Hernandez Orellana, age 3
- Saul Paniagua, age 65
Of the eight people, authorities say they are not able to confirm if Oscar Armando Ochoa, 55, was in the apartment at the time of the explosion.
Anyone with any information on the whereabouts of the eight missing individuals is asked to call Montgomery County's 311 telephone line (240-777-0311 if outside of the County) or the police non-emergency line at 301-279-8000.
Access to the scene has been limited because the building was badly damaged by the explosion, leaving it teetering on the verge of collapse, interim fire chief David Steckel acknowledged.
"We continue to operate here on the scene with about 50 fire and rescue personnel," said Steckel. "Believe me when I say I'd like to do this more quickly, we just simply can't. It's too dangerous, the structure still presents as a collapse hazard and when we work in the pile—when we move stuff in and out of the pile--we have to reevaluate the structure to ensure that it doesn't collapse."
Steckel adds that heat continues to play a factor in this labor intensive effort.
Multiple agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, are working to find out what caused the explosion. Residents and neighbors, meanwhile, were still reeling from the incident nearly 4 days later.
ATF officials say agents from Baltimore and Washington, D.C. are assisting with this investigation.
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Tenant Marisa Campos said it was "really loud" and sounded like "a hurricane or earthquake or something."
A boy whose family lived at the complex recalled waking up with a start in the midst of the blast. "I was sleeping and then I heard a boom. My mom said, 'Wake up because there's a fire,' the whole apartment shook, there was fire — big flames."
Audio tapes of 911 calls made Wednesday night paint a harrowing picture.
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"The whole building is on fire, the whole, whole building in front of me," one caller told dispatchers.
Said another caller, "The whole apartment is on fire. From top to bottom, it blew up. Everything collapsed."
While the cause of the explosion remains under investigation, tenants had made complaints about the smell of gas in recent weeks, including on July 25. Still, others have questioned whether building maintenance may have played a role.
"I think we aggressively inspect probably more than any jurisdiction around," said Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett.
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The deadly tragedy has left more than 100 people homeless.
Authorities say the four bodies are being transported to the Medical Examiner's Office in Baltimore where an autopsy will be performed.
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