Firefighters are on the scene of a gas explosion and massive fire Tuesday night, Feb. 19, 2013 at JJ's restaurant at the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Mo. A car crashed into a gas main in the upscale Kansas City shopping district, sparking a massive blaze that engulfed an entire block and caused multiple injuries, police said. (AP Photo/The Kansas City Star, Tammy Ljungblad) KANSAS CITY OUT
Official: Cadaver dogs search in Kansas City blast
Firefighters are on the scene of a gas explosion and massive fire Tuesday night, Feb. 19, 2013 at JJ's restaurant at the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Mo. A car crashed into a gas main in the upscale Kansas City shopping district, sparking a massive blaze that engulfed an entire block and caused multiple injuries, police said. (AP Photo/The Kansas City Star, Tammy Ljungblad) KANSAS CITY OUT
By MARIA SUDEKUM
Associated Press /
February 19, 2013
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Cadaver dogs are searching the smoldering remains of a Kansas City restaurant that burned to the ground following a gas explosion and massive blaze, a fire official says.
Kansas City Fire Chief Paul Berardi said late Tuesday that the search for possible victims could take hours and that he expected his crews to be at the scene through the night.
While officials have said they have no reports of fatalities, Berardi noted, ‘‘I would always fear there are fatalities in a scene like this.’’
The gas explosion occurred just after 6 p.m. and the resulting fire completely destroyed JJ’s restaurant. Officials say more than a dozen people were injured, with at least two reported in critical condition.
The cause of the blast remains under investigation; however, a city official earlier said it was believed to have been caused accidentally by a utility contractor.
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