An explosion of unknown origin rocked an Ohio town on Tuesday afternoon.
“All I know for sure is that there was an explosion,” Youngstown Fire Chief Barry Finley told reporters during a press briefing Tuesday evening.
The blast, referred to as a “major explosion” by authorities, happened around 3:30 p.m. in Youngstown and obliterated the façade of an East Federal Street building that contained 12 floors of apartments and a Chase bank on the building’s ground level, according to the Youngtown Fire Department.
In the aftermath of the explosion, seven people were taken to a nearby medical facility. At least one arrived in critical condition.
The body of a Chase Bank employee was also pulled from the rubble on Wednesday morning. He was identified as Akil Drake, a Penn Hills native.
Because there’s potential for a full structural collapse in the building, the surrounding area is closed to all traffic and the building itself has been evacuated.
Authorities say there is no currently no evidence of suspicious activity.