Severed gas line at center of NTSB investigation into deadly Ohio explosion

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said the cut in an inactive but still pressurized gas line will be the focus of the investigation into the cause of the devastating explosion in downtown Youngstown, Ohio.

The explosion occurred Tuesday afternoon near Central Square, hitting a building that houses a Chase bank and apartments. The blast killed one person and injured seven others, officials said.

The NTSB sent a team of pipeline and hazardous materials investigators to Youngstown on Wednesday to investigate the natural gas explosion.

Preliminary investigations indicate that work crews were in the building’s basement before the explosion, allegedly to expose old utility infrastructure, said NTSB board member Tom Chapman.

“A possible third-party cut in the pressurized supply line is a central part of our investigation to determine the cause of the gas release and subsequent explosion,” Chapman told reporters during a press conference on Thursday.

After the explosion, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and Enbridge Gas, the area’s utility provider, gained access to the basement and discovered a cut in the pressurized but inactive underground utility line, Chapman said.

Part of the investigation will clarify “why exactly this apparently decommissioned supply line was still under pressure,” Chapman said.

Chapman said there was no evidence that anything “nefarious” occurred in the incident.

“One of the things we will look at is what the correct procedures are and whether they have been followed,” he said.

The NTSB investigation is expected to take about a week. A preliminary report is expected in about 30 days. Final reports typically take 12 to 24 months to complete.

Chapman described the damage caused by the explosion as “breathtaking.”

“The damage to the building is devastating,” he said.

The floor collapsed into the basement and it was flooded, officials said.

The body of a man who was an employee of the bank and was identified as Akil Drake was recovered from the basement early Wednesday morning, officials said.

The building and a neighboring hotel have been closed and surrounding streets are closed to traffic indefinitely due to the risk of collapse, authorities said.