He was able to physically move the car out of the way after communicating with car controllers, though the process took several minutes.<\/p>\n
“At that point, he released it to me, and at that point, another engine was coming down that same street with the hoses they needed to deploy out there,” Banda said.<\/p>\n
By the time DeLuna arrived at the scene and saw the inferno, he realized the gravity of the situation.<\/p>\n
“When I was able to come through the trees a little bit, I saw the actual flames, and I saw that there was basically nothing that I could do,” DeLuna said.<\/p>\n
“I distinctly remember one gentleman running around. He was screaming, and he had burns on his legs, and there were people saying ‘there’s still people inside’.”<\/p>\n
Banda says officers had to wait for the gas valve to be physically shut off before they could begin rescue operations.<\/p>\n
“I think one of the hardest things was having to see Atmos struggling to find a shutoff valve,” Banda continued. “That’s why the firefighters couldn’t actually get in there. They couldn’t do much until they shut it off.”<\/p>\n
DeLuna and several firefighters were able to get into a nearby apartment that didn’t catch fire but had windows blown out from the explosion. Their mission was to save animals in the neighboring apartment.<\/p>\n
“There was this one particular big Alaskan husky, a giant dog, and I found his harness, and I’m putting it on him in his kennel and I’m just right next to his face, and I’m going ‘please don’t bite me, please don’t bite me’,” DeLuna said.<\/p>\n
DeLuna was able to get that dog and several others out of the apartment and into safety in a yard with a fence.<\/p>\n
The two officers are saddened by the three deaths caused by the explosion. Both knew Sylvia Collins, a Dallas County Democratic activist who was killed.<\/p>\n
“I would see her outside, and she would just wave at us all the time. She was a big supporter,” Banda said.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
From left to right: Deputy Constable Jonathan Banda, Deputy Constable Vincent DeLuna and Constable Michael Orozco<\/p>\n
“To find out that something so close to our home, and in support of our mission\u2026 that was definitely a new experience, and unfortunately, a very sad one,” DeLuna said.<\/p>\n
Dallas County Precinct 5 Constable Michael Orozco, who covers the Oak Cliff area, praised his officers for their actions on that day.<\/p>\n
“Being calm, taking command of the situation, and I’m just thankful that they’re alright,” Orozco told FOX 4’s Shaun Rabb. “More importantly, I’m so proud of the job they did out there.”<\/p>\n
Dallas Apartment Explosion<\/p>\n
The backstory<\/p>\n
The explosion and massive fire happened last Thursday at The Clyde apartments, located near the corner of East 9th Street and North Patton Avenue.<\/p>\n
Three people were killed, including Collins, Marisol Perez, and Perez\u2019s 18-month-old son, Erick. Five others were hospitalized.<\/p>\n
Images from SKY 4 showed the 22-unit apartment building fully engulfed in flames. The windows on neighboring buildings appeared to be blown out and debris was scattered across the street. There also appeared to be a utility truck that was affected by the fire.<\/p>\n
Neighbors said they heard a loud boom, and they felt their own apartments shake before a large plume of black smoke rise high into the Dallas sky.<\/p>\n
At peak, there were more than 100 firefighters at the scene of the five-alarm fire.<\/p>\n
Officials confirmed a gas leak was reported just before the explosion. Atmos also said a construction crew not related to the company damaged a pipeline.<\/p>\n