Youngstown Explosion Investigation Could Last 6 Months
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – It could take six months for authorities to complete the investigation into an explosion downtown that killed a Chase Bank employee and injured several others.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio have joined the investigation into the Tuesday afternoon explosion at the Realty Tower, 47 Federal Square.
“I can confirm that OSHA has responded to the explosion and are working with the incident command team and the Fire Marshall investigation team to try and determine what might have caused the explosion,” Scott Allen, an OSHA spokesman, wrote in an email. “OSHA will not have any further information until they have completed their investigation, which, by law, they have 6 months to complete.”
The National Transportation Safety Board announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, that it’s launching pipeline and hazardous materials investigators to investigate the “natural gas explosion” in downtown Youngstown. The team was expected to arrive Wednesday and a news conference will be conducted Thursday, the agency announced.
“The NTSB investigates all modes of transportation (everything regulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation), which includes natural gas pipelines,” an NTSB spokesman said in an email.
A Chase Bank branch was on the first floor of the 12-story building, with the upper floors housing 23 high-end apartments.
Brittany Waugaman, a PUCO spokeswoman, said in an email that the agency has statewide jurisdiction over gas pipeline safety, working in conjunction with the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.
“PUCO gas pipeline safety investigators are on the scene of that incident and the investigation is ongoing at this time,” she said in the email.
Dominion Gas, the Mahoning County Coroner’s Office, the State Fire Marshal’s Fire and Explosion Investigations Bureau, in conjunction with Youngstown fire and police departments, also are investigating.
The city closed off roads around the building as a safety precaution. City officials said a structural engineer hired by the owner of the building will assess the damage. The Realty Tower and the DoubleTree By Hilton Youngstown Downtown remain closed.
While he hasn’t been in the building since the explosion, architect Paul Ricciutti believes the building remains structurally sound.
“Now, I have no knowledge about whether the steel was affected,” he said. “But it’s hard for me to comprehend that that blast would affect a steel column. Maybe it did – I don’t really know. But my gut feeling is that the building is structurally OK. That’s my gut feeling.”
The Mahoning County Coroner’s Office identified the man killed as Akil Drake, 27. Drake’s LinkedIn profile says he was a relationship banker at Chase and a graduate of Youngstown State University.
A statement from YSU said the university is deeply saddened by the loss of one of its alumni.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Akil’s family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time,” the statement said. “We also extend our heartfelt condolences to those who were injured and their families, as well as to all those affected by this incident.”
Drake was also a graduate of the Penn Hills School District, near Pittsburgh, which issued a statement Wednesday.
“Earlier today, the Penn Hills administration learned that one of our former students, Akil Drake, tragically lost his life in an explosion in Youngstown, Ohio. Akil was a 2015 Penn Hills graduate and a student athlete who excelled on the football field. The Penn Hills School District extends its deepest sympathies to Akil’s family as well as the other individuals impacted by this tragic explosion. Akil will be missed by us all.”
The explosion shook much of downtown, with workers scrambling from their offices to learn what happened.
Jeff Magada, founder and executive director of Flying High, says he was on the phone when he heard the explosion from his corner office overlooking Central Square. He stood up in time to see the white smoke still rising from the explosion.
He got off that call, dialed 911, and a member of his staff went across the square and witnessed firefighters arriving to assist a young man, between 20 to 30 years old, looking confused in the rubble of the bank.
Magada also saw a firefighter pull a person from the rubble. He said he could hear gas hissing nearby.
“I cannot say enough good things about the fire department and police department and first responders,” Magada said.
Magada said he is thankful that section of Federal Street was closed for street work, which meant there was no traffic next to the building or waiting at the traffic light.
Magada said when he used to park in the Eastern Gateway Community College parking garage, he walked past the Realty Tower and the numerous gas meters next to the end of the building where he believes the explosion came from.
Flying High did not open the welcome center Wednesday, although Magada said the Warren Professional Development Facility, the Mobile Market and other services at other locations are continuing.
Additionally, the Flying High Professional Development graduation planned for next week has been postponed out of respect for what happened.
“This is not a time for celebration,” Magada said.
Tracey Winbush lived in the building with her elderly mother. Winbush was at the drugstore to pick up a prescription for her mom when the explosion happened. Her mother was home and was transported to the hospital.
Winbush stayed in a hotel Tuesday night and had to buy clothes and toiletries because she wasn’t able to return home.
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, posted sympathies on his Facebook page Wednesday: “My deepest condolences to the family of the Chase worker we lost yesterday in Youngstown,” he wrote. “As we learn more about what happened, our thoughts are with his loved ones and coworkers, and with the victims still in the hospital and those forced from their homes.”
State Rep. Lauren McNally, D-59th, issued a statement Wednesday about the tragedy.
“An unexpected, fatal event can have a chilling impact on a community,” the statement reads. “I feel those fears and heartache and extend my deepest sympathies to the family of Akil Drake and the explosion survivors and their family members during this painful time. I’m grateful for our public safety personnel who are on the ground monitoring this situation, ensuring ongoing public welfare, and investigators who will provide us with the clarity needed for our efforts to eventually turn to prevention. I will be patient during that time and will urge others to do the same. My office is available for any concerns about the role of the state in this process.”
Pictured at top: Safety personnel are seen at the site of the explosion Wednesday.
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