Explosion at Dallas apartment building hospitalizes at least one person

A reported explosion at a Dallas apartment building sent at least one person to the hospital and triggered a major firefighting response in Oak Cliff, where neighbors described hearing a loud boom and feeling their apartments shake.

Dallas Fire-Rescue said the incident was reported around 1:30 p.m. Thursday near East 9th Street and North Patton Avenue. The building was identified as 409 E. 9th St., the El Ricardo apartment building, just east of Bishop Arts, north of the Dallas Zoo and south of downtown Dallas. Fire crews said the blaze stemmed from a reported explosion, but the exact cause remained unconfirmed as responders worked the scene.

By about 2:30 p.m., Dallas Fire-Rescue said 71 units had responded, with nearly 100 firefighters on site. The response escalated from a three-alarm call to a four-alarm incident as crews searched the building and tried to secure the area. Officials said the number of people hospitalized could change depending on how many residents were home when the blast occurred, and it was still not clear how many people were inside at the time.

Witnesses said the force of the blast was immediate. Neighbors reported a huge boom and said the impact shook nearby apartments, raising fresh questions about the condition of the building and whether nearby residents faced any continuing risk. One witness also said a man saved a girl from one of the buildings, underscoring how quickly the explosion turned into a rescue scene.

At least one person was hospitalized, and officials said several victims had been reported as the emergency response grew. For a neighborhood that sits between Bishop Arts and the city center, the blast sent fire crews, ambulances and investigators converging on a tightly packed residential block where the first priority was getting people out and accounting for everyone inside.

The immediate answers now hinge on what set off the explosion, how many residents were affected and whether the building itself can be stabilized. Fire officials had not yet confirmed the cause Thursday afternoon, leaving Oak Cliff with a damaged apartment complex and an investigation still trying to determine what happened inside El Ricardo.