One Woman Dead After Alabama Building Explodes And Collapses

Two apartments in a Birmingham Alabama building complex exploded in a ball of fire and collapsed before the sun rose Tuesday morning. One woman, who was reportedly asleep with her fiancé at he time of the explosion, is dead.

The explosion occurred in the Gate City apartment complex at around 2:30 a.m., AL.com, Alabama's local news site, reported. More than 60 firefighters were on the scene within minutes of the explosion.

"I came out and the whole building was on fire," Gate City resident Viola Bozelan told Al.com. "I thought an airplane had crashed down here."

The adjacent apartments, both two-stories with five bedrooms, were "literally destroyed," said Birmingham Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief C.W. Mardis, according to the Daily Mail. The blast took off the entire front of both apartments, causing a "pancake" collapse, where the second floors caved into the first floor, Mardis told AL.com

Though it took firefighters less than 30 minutes to put out the 15-foot flames, it took more than five hours to free a couple that was trapped beneath the rubble. Firefighters heard sounds from a male victim from under a concrete slab while. Firefighters then used hydraulic jacks to lift the collapsed concrete.

"When we extracted him, the female was there also," Madris told AL.com.

After failing to find a pulse, the woman was pronounced dead on the scene. She had "crushing injuries and burns."

The woman is believed to be the fiancé of the man firefighters rescued. The couple, whose names have no been released, was in bed in their first floor apartment when the explosion caused the second floor to plummet on top of them.

The man was taken to UAB Hospital and is currently in critical condition. Two adults and five children were also hurt and taken to the hospital. Reports say the explosion was most likely caused by a gas leak. The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the incident.