Investigation into Youngstown explosion could take 6 months

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — It could take six months for authorities to complete their investigation into a downtown explosion that killed a Chase Bank employee and injured several others.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio are participating in the investigation of the explosion Tuesday afternoon at the Realty Tower, 47 Federal Square.

“I can confirm that OSHA has responded to the explosion and is working with the incident command and fire marshal’s investigation team to determine what may have caused the explosion,” Scott Allen, an OSHA spokesman, wrote in an email. “OSHA will not have any further information until they complete their investigation, which they have 6 months to do by law.”

The National Transportation Safety Board announced on X, formerly Twitter, that it is sending pipeline and hazardous materials investigators to investigate the “natural gas explosion” in downtown Youngstown. The team is expected to arrive Wednesday and a press conference will be held Thursday morning, the agency said.

“The NTSB investigates all modes of transportation (anything regulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation), including natural gas pipelines,” an NTSB spokesman said in an email.

The ground floor of the twelve-story building housed a branch of Chase Bank, while the upper floors contained 23 luxury apartments.

Brittany Waugaman, a spokeswoman for PUCO, said in an email that the agency is responsible for gas pipeline safety nationwide and works with the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

“PUCO gas pipeline safety investigators are on site and the investigation is currently ongoing,” she said in the email.

Dominion Gas, the Mahoning County Coroner’s Office and the State Fire Marshal’s Fire and Explosion Investigations Bureau are also investigating in conjunction with the Youngstown Fire Department and Police Department.

For safety reasons, the city has closed the streets around the building. City officials said a structural engineer hired by the building’s owner will assess the damage. The Realty Tower and the DoubleTree By Hilton Youngstown Downtown remain closed.

Although he has not entered the building since the explosion, architect Paul Ricciutti is convinced that the structure is still intact.

“I don’t know if the steel was damaged,” he said. “But I find it hard to imagine that the explosion damaged a steel column. Maybe it did – I don’t know for sure. But my gut feeling is that the building is structurally sound. That’s my gut feeling.”

The Mahoning County Coroner’s Office identified the man killed as 27-year-old Akil Drake. According to Drake’s LinkedIn profile, he was a relationship banker at Chase and a graduate of Youngstown State University.

In a statement, YSU said the university was deeply saddened by the loss of one of its graduates.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Akil’s family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time,” the statement said. “We also extend our deepest condolences to those injured and their families, as well as to everyone affected by this incident.”

Drake was also a graduate of the Penn Hills School District near Pittsburgh, which issued a statement Wednesday.

“Today, the Penn Hills School District learned that one of our former students, Akil Drake, was killed in a tragic explosion in Youngstown, Ohio. Akil was a 2015 graduate of Penn Hills and was an outstanding athlete on the football field. The Penn Hills School District extends its deepest condolences to Akil’s family and the others affected by this tragic explosion. We will all miss Akil.”

The explosion shook much of the city center and workers rushed out of their offices to find out what had happened.

Jeff Magada, founder and CEO of Flying High, says he was on the phone when he heard the explosion from his corner office overlooking Central Square. He got up just in time to see the white smoke still rising from the blast.

He ended the call, dialed 911, and a member of his staff walked across the square and saw firefighters arriving to assist a young man, between the ages of 20 and 30, lying confused in the rubble of the bank.

Magada also saw a firefighter pulling a person from the rubble. He said he heard gas hissing nearby.

“I can’t say enough good things about the fire department, police and first responders,” Magada said.

Magada said he was grateful that a section of Federal Street was closed for roadwork, so there was no traffic next to the building and no need to wait at the traffic light.

Magada said as he parked in the Eastern Gateway Community College parking garage, he passed the Realty Tower and the numerous gas meters at the end of the building, where he believes the explosion came from.

Flying High did not open the welcome center on Wednesday, although Magada said the Warren Professional Development Facility, Mobile Market and other services will continue at other locations.

In addition, the Flying High Professional Development training graduation ceremony scheduled for next week has been postponed out of respect for the incident.

“This is no reason to celebrate,” Magada said.

Tracey Winbush lived in the building with her elderly mother. Winbush was at the pharmacy to pick up a prescription for her mother when the explosion happened. Her mother was at home and was taken to the hospital.

Winbush spent Tuesday night in a hotel and had to buy clothes and toiletries because she could not return home.

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) expressed his condolences on his Facebook page on Wednesday: “My deepest condolences go out to the family of the Chase employee we lost yesterday in Youngstown,” he wrote. “As we learn more about what happened, our thoughts are with his loved ones and colleagues, as well as the victims still in the hospital and those who have had to flee their homes.”

State Rep. Lauren McNally (D-59th) issued a statement on the tragedy on Wednesday.

“An unexpected, deadly event can terrify a community,” the statement said. “I feel that fear and grief and extend my deepest condolences to Akil Drake’s family and the survivors of the explosion and their families during this painful time. I am grateful to our public safety personnel on the ground monitoring this situation and ensuring the public welfare, and to the investigators who are providing us with the clarity we need so we can ultimately turn to prevention. I will be patient during this time and urge others to do the same. My office is available to answer any questions you may have about the state’s role in this process.”

Pictured above: Security forces can be seen at the site of the explosion on Wednesday.

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