A massive explosion in an office and apartment building in downtown Youngstown, Ohio on Tuesday was an accident caused by workers cutting through an unused gas line that still held residue gas vapors, officials said, according to ABC News. The blast killed one and injured eight.
As part of a city project to clear out old infrastructure and replace city sidewalks, workers clearing out the building’s outdated, unused piping and ductwork in the basement had cut through the pipe twice, but the third cut released a cloud of gas because the section of pipe was still pressurized. Workers evacuated the basement, pulled the fire alarm and called 9-1-1, but six minutes after the release, the building exploded.