1 person found dead in building explosion in downtown Youngstown, Ohio
Multiple people were injured after a natural gas explosion damaged a building in downtown Youngstown, Ohio on Tuesday, fire officials said. One person is dead, while several others were hospitalized.
"This is something we never planned for and never thought would happen," said Youngstown Mayor Jamael Tito Brown at a press conference today.
The body of one of the employees, Akil Drake, 27, was pulled out of the rubble and recovered late Tuesday night, states a press release emailed to Paste BN from the Mahoning County Coroner's Office.
Seven other people were hospitalized, fire officials said.
Press conference held Wednesday morning
Youngstown's mayor, police chief and fire chief held a press conference on Wednesday to discuss the incident further.
According to the mayor, the state fire marshall is currently on the scene, and he and other city officials will not comment on whether the explosion was caused by negligence until they have more information.
"We're not speculating," said Brown, who added that the fire marshalls will have to review the incident further.
The state fire marshall is currently in charge of the investigation, said fire chief Barry Finley.
Finley added that until he is assured that the building is structurally secure, no residents will be allowed back in.
What happened?
Just after 3 p.m., a blast rang out at a Chase Bank, which occupies the first floor of the 13-story building that also houses numerous apartments, local outlets WFMJ and WKBN reported.
Fire officials encouraged area residents to avoid the downtown area.
Blast captured on surveillance video
The entire first floor of the building that exploded appears to be destroyed, WFMJ reported. Security camera video from a neighboring business obtained by the TV station shows the explosion as it happened.
Halfway through the 5-second clip, the explosion goes off, sending debris into the air and causing smoke to cover the area.
Finley told WFMJ that an evacuation order has been issued around the building. Drivers are being asked to avoid the area as first responders have blocked it off. The bomb squad and a structural engineer are now at the scene as gas continues to come from the area, the TV station reported.
'I heard the boom'
Debora Flora, who works downtown for Mahoning County Land Bank, told WKBN about her experience during the explosion.
"I heard the boom, and I looked up and I could see dark smoke coming out of the side of the Chase Bank building… but it was such a really strong, strong boom, you know, I blurted out, 'Oh my God,'” Flora recalled.