Current status of the investigation into the explosion in Youngstown

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – First News has learned more about the work taking place in downtown Youngstown before the massive explosion that caused major damage to the Realty Building on Tuesday.

Documents obtained Thursday through a public records request show that the Youngstown Board of Control has approved the hiring of Boardman-based real estate development and management firm Greenheart Companies.

The work is described in an April 1 document dated on Greenheart’s letterhead to Chuck Shasho, deputy director of the Youngstown Department of Public Works, which shows that the Youngstown Board of Control approved paying Greenheart $140,133 to remove the old utilities, including water, gas, electricity, data and telephone lines, sprinkler lines and heating water tanks.

Taylor Botsford and several Greenheart crew members were working in the building when the explosion occurred.

“We were working down there when the gas started coming out of the lines. Then we ran up the stairs and pulled the fire alarm when we got to the top and called 911 when we were outside. And then we notified our Greenheart manager,” Botsford said.

Botsford eventually inhaled some of the gas in the basement.

“We booked it out of the basement and tried to get out as fast as we could,” Botsford said. “We didn’t even take the elevator. We took the stairs.”

In an April 19 letter to the Youngstown Board of Control, Shasho wrote, “The basement vault roof system conflicts with planned road improvements. All utilities in the vault area must be relocated to allow the vault to be filled.”

Youngstown Mayor Jamael Tito Brown issued the following statement on Friday:

The City hired GreenHeart to relocate private utility lines in the basement of the Realty Tower and prepare for backfill as part of the SMART 2 project. As is customary, contractors began work on their own schedule, using their own means and methods. There is currently no evidence that the gas line mentioned in the May 30 NTSB meeting was necessary to meet this scope. The NTSB investigation to understand the work being done on the building at the time of the leak and explosion is still ongoing.

Our focus remains on ensuring the safety of the public and the well-being of those left homeless as a result of this incident. We will continue to provide regular updates through our official channels as they become available. We continue to extend our condolences to Akil Drake’s family, Chase employees, and everyone affected by this tragic event.

Mayor Jamael Tito Brown

On Thursday, NTSB investigators expressed serious concerns about third-party work near gas pipelines and said they would continue to monitor this issue as they investigate the deadly gas explosion that left one person dead and several injured.

First News has reached out to Greenheart Companies for comment but has not yet received a response.