Multiple People Hospitalized after Gas Station Explosion
Four adults were rushed to a Virginia hospital earlier today after an explosion Friday morning left residents in shock.
The cause of the explosion is still unknown and authorities are on the scene of the incident. The fire has since been extinguished.
One person has died but that figure is expected to rise as five people are still missing.
The fire chief says they had 7 agencies throughout the county helping with this fire. He says they Think a lot of the fire load was from the gasoline tanks and that they’ll be here for a number of hours or even days, putting or hot spots and investigating. pic.twitter.com/sJtzNLyD4M
— Eric Pointer (@EricPointerTV) May 10, 2019
INVESTIGATIONS CONTINUE
The cause of the explosion on Old Buena Vista Road, Virginia, does not appear to be suspicious in nature, according to the local sheriff.
He added that the explosion happened shortly after 9:50 local time and that emergency services and first responders rushed to the scene without delay.
He also said it was a very large fire with intense heat and they don’t have a large water source.. so they had to set up a drafting operation and pump water out of a nearby river. pic.twitter.com/TgNBfXsQNr
— Eric Pointer (@EricPointerTV) May 10, 2019
Investigators at the scene are proceeding with the utmost caution due to safety concerns after sections of the gas station collapsed.
RESIDENTS STILL REPORTEDLY IN DANGER
NY Daily News confirmed that apart from the injured residents, one person has died but that figure is expected to rise as five people are still missing.
Still an active scene here. Firefighters are working to put out hot spots. The fire chief says four people were taken to the hospital and they are Still concerned there are more injuries victims inside... possible fatalities @WFXRnews pic.twitter.com/DKi5zmXB5A
— Eric Pointer (@EricPointerTV) May 10, 2019
Shocking footage taken at the scene and shared with news agencies show the gas station still burning, surrounded by charred vehicles. The county sheriff told ABC News:
"Authorities are working to account for all the individuals that may have been located in the building at the time of the explosion."