This article was updated 6:55 p.m. Nov. 17 to include the discovered body.
A body has been discovered from the rubble of an explosion that caused an early Wednesday morning fire in Gaithersburg, said Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein.
At a Thursday press conference, fire rescue officials said a K-9 found the remains, which were recovered from the area of 826 Quince Orchard Boulevard in the Potomac Oaks condominium complex.
Police said the person recovered has not been identified yet, and that the person’s remains have been taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore.
Police said they are opening up an investigation to look into seeing whether this was a “criminal, intentional act.”
“We don’t know that for sure,” said Montgomery County Police Chief Marcus Jones. “We have a lot of work to do. We are lacking a lot of other evidence.”
On Wednesday, Goldstein said that the number of people injured was 12, and that ten of the 12 injured — six adults and four children — were taken to area hospitals for “mild to moderate” injuries, and that two of the adult victims taken to a trauma center for their injuries. The other two victims chose not to be transported to a hospital and were treated at the scene, according to Goldstein.
During Thursday’s briefing, Goldstein said officials raised the total number of injured to 14 people.
Goldstein said that the fire appeared to be fed by gas from the basement of one of the buildings affected, although the exact cause of the fire is yet to be determined.
On Wednesday afternoon, Goldstein said that Washington Gas was able to shut off gas supply to the buildings.
Fire officials searched the buildings affected and found no other active gas leaks, Goldstein said. He said they will also sweep nearby buildings in the complex to ensure there are no other active leaks.
Two buildings in the block, 826 and 828 Quince Orchard Boulevard, suffered severe damage and partially collapsed because of the blast, Goldstein said.
Officials from the Department of Health and Human Services set up a fundraiser website and shelter to help residents displaced by the fire. The shelter is located nearby Bohrer Park, at 506 South Frederick Ave.