The National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) preliminary report on the May 28 fatal gas explosion in Youngstown answered some questions about the explosion that killed one and injured nine. The blast caused structural damage to the 13-story Realty Tower Building that housed a bank, offices, and residences.

Sequence of events

A scrap removal crew working for contractor GreenHeart Companies was removing and relocating utility lines in the building’s basement in an area underneath the sidewalk. The contract was under the city of Youngstown in preparation for a city road improvement project.

A crew member and supervisor told NTSB officials they were unaware that the gas lines were still active. The crew member said he was told the gas line he cut was not transporting gas, but part way through cutting into the pipe, he heard a loud whistling sound and felt gas blowing into his face. The crew left the building, pulled the fire alarm, and immediately called 911; another crew member advised bank employees on the first floor about the leak.

Before the blast, the Youngstown Fire Department received reports of a gas odor from the public, and the fire department, police, and other emergency responders arrived at the scene. After the explosion, Enbridge Gas Ohio employees did a pressure test on the 1-inch diameter service line that exploded and the main line that fed it. They found that the service line didn’t hold pressure while hearing a hissing noise from the 1-inch line. The service line was capped, and the gas company employees found no other leaks.

NTSB response to blast

NTSB officials visually inspected the site after the blast, reviewed surveillance video, gathered physical evidence and information on the scrap-removal contract, and interviewed personnel related to the accident. 

Going forward, the investigation will focus on the pipeline operator’s procedures for removing meters, record keeping, and abandoning gas lines. They will also focus on the ownership of the inactive line, companies associated with the building, and the contractor’s practices and policies for work crews. 

The NTSB report identified GreenHeart as the partial owner of the Realty Tower Building.

In March 2024, Enbridge, a North American company based in Canada, bought local gas distribution company Dominion Energy Ohio and renamed it Enbridge Gas Ohio. Both are named in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Chase Manhattan Bank employee Akil Drake, 27, who was killed in the blast.

The gas meter for the line that was thought to be inactive was removed in June 2008. The NTSB report says Enbridge records indicate the inactive service line was manually cut and abandoned in September 2015.

NTSB has said the final report could take one to two years to complete.