At least four injured in gas explosion at Dallas apartment building

At least four people were hospitalized after a gas explosion destroyed a Dallas apartment complex Thursday afternoon, city officials said.

The blaze erupted just before 1 p.m. in the Oak Cliff neighborhood, according to Dallas Fire-Rescue and the Dallas Police Department.

Dallas Fire-Rescue said it responded to a call regarding a gas leak at the complex and when crews arrived, the incident was deemed a two-alarm fire but escalated into a five-alarm fire.

At least 11 residents are unaccounted for, officials told NBC Dallas- Fort Worth.

Video from the scene shows the walls of the complex blanketed with ash, the roof collapsed, and the remains of the structure.

A contractor was working at the building Thursday and struck a gas line, which led to the explosion, NBC DFW reported.

“The fire is contained, but our members are still working on the scene to do primary searches,” Dallas Fire-Rescue Assistant Chief James Russ said in a news conference.

Four people were transported to the hospital, Russ said. Their conditions are not known.

“I want to encourage our entire city, this entire state, the entire nation to come together and pray for all the people, all the families who are affected by this tragedy we are experiencing here today in our city,” Mayor Eric L. Johnson said. “ We ask everyone, please pray for our Dallas Fire Rescue personnel who are still fighting this fire.”

A family reunification center has been set up at W. H. Adamson High School.