An explosion was reported at a building at North Meridian Road, Austintown, Ohio on November 22. One person's injury has been confirmed by authorities. Reports suggest multiple people have been injured. It remains unknown if there have been any casualties. Austintown is directly west of the city of Youngstown.
WKBN reported that multiple departments were responding to the situation. The explosion is believed to have taken place just before 1 pm. As per WFMJ, Austintown Fire Department shared that crews were responding to report of a blast at Phoenix House apartments located near North Meridian Road and I-680. Phoenix House is reportedly a senior resident apartment for the elderly and disabled.
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Trumbull County authorities shared “Weathersfield, McDonald, Girard, Liberty, Lordstown responding mutal aid.”
As per Austintown Police, buses will soon be arriving to evacuate the uninjured from the scene and they will be moved to Austintown Senior Center or Austintown School District. Crews are working to move people from the vicinity as they search and clear the building, as per local reports.
Witnesses describe blast
{{/usCountry}}As per Austintown Police, buses will soon be arriving to evacuate the uninjured from the scene and they will be moved to Austintown Senior Center or Austintown School District. Crews are working to move people from the vicinity as they search and clear the building, as per local reports.
Witnesses describe blast
{{/usCountry}}Residents told 21 News that they heard a loud noise and felt building shake just after 12:30 pm. They said there was a big boom which felt like an earthquake, as per local reports. A portion of the building was exposed after the explosion and firefighters searched through this part of the structure too, as per the outlet.
Visuals of explosion shared online
Visuals showed the extent of damage to the building.
A person reshared this video and commented, “Phoenix house on meridian rd…. Explosion.”
Another person shared a photo of emergency services outside the building, saying “Another explosion just happened on the west side of Youngstown  North Meridian Road.”
The cause of the blast remains unknown. Howevers, WFMJ reported that there was odor of gas in the air.
(This is a developing story)