‘Enormous’ explosion kills three, including a child, at Oak Cliff apartments
A gas explosion at an Oak Cliff apartment complex killed at least three people, including a child, and injured at least five others, officials with Dallas Fire-Rescue said Thursday evening.
The explosion was reported around 12:47 p.m. at The Clyde apartments, a two-story complex located at the intersection of Patton Avenue and East 9th Street, officials said, not far from the Bishop Arts District.
Dallas Fire-Rescue crews were on the way to the apartments to investigate reports of a gas leak when the explosion happened, said James Russ, the assistant chief of Dallas Fire-Rescue. At the time that Russ spoke, the fire had been upgraded to five alarms.
The three deceased people were located in the debris of the building, and included two women and one child of unknown gender, Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesperson Jason Evans said in an update around 8 p.m.
Emergency crews had searched through about 40% of the apartment debris when Evans spoke to the media, and the chance still remains that the death toll could rise, Evans said. Crews will remain at the site overnight and throughout the next day to continue search efforts and maintain the integrity of the scene.
Evans described the explosion as “enormous,” and began to cry as he spoke about the possibility of deceased children in the rubble. Still, he said, the department had no official count on how many residents were still unaccounted for.
Three injured people were taken to the hospital by ambulance, Evans said. Two of them have since been discharged, and one remains in the hospital in critical but stable condition. Two other people took themselves to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries.
Nearly 100 firefighters responded to the complex, which consists of 23 units, according to Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV.
Operations have transitioned from search and rescue operations to recovery updates, Dallas Fire-Rescue officials said in an update around 5 p.m. Thursday.
While recovery operations continue, Evans said around 8 p.m., the operation now also involves excavation efforts in hopes to minimize the amount of time it takes to complete work at the scene.
The explosion apparently occurred when construction crews ruptured a gas line near the complex, according to KXAS-TV reporting. Officials with Atmos Energy and the City of Dallas both said the construction crews were not working for them.
“I want to encourage our entire city, this entire state and 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,” Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said. “We ask everyone to please pray for our Dallas Fire-Rescue personnel who are still fighting this fire. They do an amazing job under very, very difficult circumstances like this. And we just pray that they will be safe while they try to save and help every single person they can affected by this.”
A resident of The Clyde told WFAA-TV that she and her sister were home at the time of the explosion and “heard a big commotion.”
“I grabbed [my sister.] I went with her to the restroom, locked the door, trying to cover her. And the top floor of the apartment, it was like destroyed and shattered into our apartment downstairs, and even the window was breaking,” the resident said.
Another person who lives nearby told KXAS that it sounded like something hit their house.
“We were inside, and then when we heard it, it was like a boom,” the witness said. “And at first I thought the tree fell on my house or something.”
Rosy Martinez went to The Clyde to look for her sister and young nephew, according to KXAS reporting.
“I just hope that we can find them soon, and I hope they are OK,” Martinez told KXAS. “My sister, Marisol Martinez, she is 38 and my baby nephew, his name is Manuel, and he’s 1. I just hope he’s OK and I hope we find him soon. This doesn’t feel real to me.”
Displaced residents have been provided hotel rooms by the City of Dallas, Evans said. Anyone still looking for a resident of the apartment complex is urged to call 311 for more information.
National Transportation Safety Board officials said they’re sending a team to the area to investigate the explosion.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 6:11 PM.
