At least three people have been killed in a major explosion at a building complex in the US city of Dallas, Texas, officials said on Thursday.
The victims were two women and a child, a fire department spokesman said. Emergency crews had been called to the scene around midday because of a gas leak, he said.
During their two-minute journey to the site, there was an enormous explosion, the spokesman added.
Three injured people were taken to hospital, one of them in critical but stable condition. Two other people with less serious injuries drove themselves to hospital.
Several media outlets reported that a contractor had been working on the building and struck a gas line, triggering the explosion. Asked about those reports, the fire department spokesman declined to comment.
Aerial footage from the afternoon showed a large building complex completely burned out, with high flames rising from the site.
According to the fire department, the operation was continuing, though the focus had shifted from fighting the fire to searching for victims.
The spokesman said further fatalities were possible, adding that less than half of the building had been searched. The fire department did not say whether anyone was missing.
