Many people spent the night away, unaware that their homes had been destroyed by a gas explosion.
Three people were hurt and one person died when flames erupted in 20 Redwood Grove flats, Bedford at around 09:30 BST Monday.
One neighbor said that he believed he lost all his belongings in his flat. He understood it was destroyed.
Bedfordshire Police stated that additional bodies could be discovered as crews search the scene.
According to the fire service, an investigation is underway and further details will be available in the coming days.
Jas, who lives at the affected flat, claimed he was sitting on his couch when he heard the "massive blast".
He said that he thought it was an earthquake, but when he went to take a look, the door had fallen off its hinges and the attic had split in two and the roof had collapsed.
"People were jumping out of the windows, someone had fallen in the corridor, there was dense smoke everywhere, and fire everywhere.
Cornelia, Jas's daughter, stated that his entire apartment was "gone".
She said, "Everything he owned"
"It's his entire life, all his possessions.
"It was very traumatizing."
Lauren Townsend was at her home in the neighboring building with her daughter when the blast occurred.
The 21-year old said that he heard an explosion and the flat shake. He then heard my neighbours screaming, indicating that there was a fire.
"It looked like it was in our block, so obviously I panicked. I got my little girl up from bed and got the dog out. Then, I started banging on doors trying get everyone out."
Ms Townsend stated that she was waiting to talk to the council about where she could live with her family as she couldn't return home.
She said, "All my stuff in there, my little boy's stuff in there, her nappies and wipes, all that stuff!"
You can buy it in the shops, but you won't find all her comforts, toys and clothes.
Ms Townsend described the incident as "shocking."
She said, "To think about how close that was and that we could have been there - it's crazy."
Another resident, who didn't want to be identified, stated that she and her husband were on their way to Wales at the time they were alerted about the explosion.
They said that they didn't know the extent of damage to their home but they felt they were in a better place than others because they had clothing and toiletries in their suitcases for their vacation.
She said, "When I saw the aerial picture I just burst into tears."
"I thought, "Thank God we weren't there"
They said that they were lucky to be able to stay with their family near by, but they hoped to return someday to "collect sentimental items".
BBC News: East of England is available on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk
