Officials held a press conference on the apartment fire Thursday afternoon. Photo by Victoria Hernandez.
Dallas firefighters responded to a reported gas leak Thursday afternoon at an apartment building on the 400 block of East 9th Street.
Dallas Fire and Rescue Assistant Chief James Russ said the dispatch center received the call at approximately 12:47 p.m. Upon crew arrival at 12:49 p.m., the scene was upgraded to a second-alarm fire.
“Shortly after, it continued to escalate and upgrade, and at this time we are in a five-alarm fire,” Russ said at an afternoon press conference. “The fire is contained, but our members are still working on the scene to do primarily searches.”
Drones are canvassing the area for additional victims. A family reunification center has been set up at W.H. Adamson High School.
As of about 3:30 p.m., Russ said that at least four people have been hospitalized with unknown conditions.
Officials confirmed at a 5 p.m. press conference that an explosion took place and that the response has shifted from rescue mode to recovery mode.
“We can now confirm that there are fatalities,” Dallas Fire-Rescue Chief Mark Berry said at the conference. “We are still working through the recovery phase, so let us work through the recovery phase and give you a total number.”
Updated May 28, 2026 at 5:40 p.m.
