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Huge blaze at Kansas City, Missouri shopping district Huge blaze at Kansas City, Missouri shopping district
(35 minutes later)
At least seven people are reported injured and three unaccounted for after a suspected gas explosion triggered a huge blaze in a shopping district in Kansas City, Missouri.At least seven people are reported injured and three unaccounted for after a suspected gas explosion triggered a huge blaze in a shopping district in Kansas City, Missouri.
TV pictures showed flames shooting out of the Country Club Plaza retail area. Local TV showed flames shooting out of the Country Club Plaza retail area.
Police said a car was believed to have crashed into a gas main near a restaurant in the early evening on Tuesday. Police said a car was believed to have crashed into a gas main near a restaurant early on Tuesday evening.
The conditions of those injured was not yet known. The conditions of those injured was not yet known but several "appear to be critical", a hospital spokeswoman said.
A spokeswoman for the nearby St Luke's Hospital, Kerry O'Connor, said there were "several patients" who had not yet been assessed but "they appear to be critical at this time". The Kansas City Star href="http://www.kansascity.com/2013/02/19/4075290/two-alarm-fire-raging-west-of.html" >reported a total of 15 patients across three area hospitals, including St Luke's Hospital.
Images from the scene showed firefighters and other emergency teams battling a massive blaze that appeared to have engulfed the entire block. A manager of the restaurant destroyed in the blaze, JJ's, told police three people were unaccounted for but it was unclear if they had left earlier.
Police spokeswoman Rhonda Flores said the initial car crash appeared to have been accidental and the initial call for three ambulances had been increased to 10.
Images from the scene showed firefighters and other emergency teams battling a massive blaze that appeared to have engulfed an entire block.
Kansas City Mayor Sly James tweeted that the fire was mostly under control and officials were working to prevent secondary explosions.Kansas City Mayor Sly James tweeted that the fire was mostly under control and officials were working to prevent secondary explosions.
The initial blast was felt beyond the shopping area.
"I thought something had exploded in my house," Peggy Zilm, who lives about seven blocks from the fire, told the Star.
The shopping area, established in 1922, is based on the architecture of Seville, Spain, and includes retail, restaurants, apartments and offices.