DALLAS - A gas well explosion in North Texas has killed at least three people and is sending enormous flames and plumes of smoke into the sky.
WATCH LIVE VIDEO FROM THE SCENE
The fire broke out at about 3 p.m. at 2101 County Road 1120 in Hood County, south of Fort Worth.
At least 10 others are missing. CareFlite dispatched four air ambulance helicopters to the scene.
The blaze consists of flames hundreds of feet high and can be seen from at least 30 miles away. Additionally, Sky 4 helicopter pilot Mike Warner said it was so intense he could feel the heat from nearly a mile away.
The force of the blast and resulting burn also generated spinning spirals of smoke resembling funnel clouds, often called dust devils.
Area residents report hearing a loud explosion or series of explosions. They also said they felt the earth rumble and their homes shake for several minutes.
Tracy Mann heard the ruckus and said she initially thought a summer storm was brewing. But the situation quickly turned into something Mann knew was unusual.
"Boy that has really lasted a long time for some thunder," Mann said. "All of our windows were shaking."
A brushfire sparked by the explosion has already consumed about 200 acres, Warner said.
