1 confirmed dead in explosion in downtown Youngstown

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – State authorities are investigating after an explosion in downtown Youngstown killed one person and injured seven others on Tuesday.

Akil Drake, 27, of Pittsburgh, was found dead in the basement of the Realty Building, the Mahoning County Coroner’s Office told WKBN Channel 27. Drake was an employee at a Chase bank branch in the building at 47 Federal Plaza.

“The JPMorgan Chase family mourns the loss of our colleague,” Chase Bank said in a statement to WFMJ Channel 21. “Our deepest condolences go out to her family, as well as to our injured employees, their families and others affected by this tragedy. We will continue to work with local authorities to support them.”

Police and emergency responders initially blamed natural gas for the explosion, but the fire chief later said the cause was under investigation. A police press release said there had been reports of a gas leak shortly before the explosion, which occurred just before 3 p.m.

The explosion caused part of the ground floor of the Realty Building to collapse into the basement and the facade to collapse onto a street, both sides of which were cordoned off by orange construction fencing. The 13-story building houses a Chase bank branch on the ground floor and apartments on the upper floors.

According to police, the Realty Building, the Stambaugh Building and a DoubleTree by Hilton hotel will remain closed until further notice while engineers assess the building damage. The Red Cross is offering assistance to the homeless, police said.

Residents are asked to avoid the area.

Initial reports said two people were missing, but authorities believe all have been found. A woman who was reported missing reported to the hospital under a different name, Youngstown Fire Chief Barry Finley told WFMJ. One of the injured victims was in critical condition Wednesday.

“We have no idea what caused the explosion. We know there was an explosion and that it caused a lot of damage in the lower part of the building,” Finley said Tuesday. He said none of the apartments in the building are habitable.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.