NEED TO KNOW
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Several people have been injured after an explosion occurred at a senior living residence in Ohio on Saturday, Nov. 22
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Residents inside the Austintown residence recalled hearing a loud noise and feeling the building shake just after 12:30 p.m. local time
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“It felt like a bomb,” one resident said
Several people have been injured after an explosion occurred at a senior living residence in Ohio.
According to WKBN, WKYC and WFMJ, firefighters were called to the Phoenix House apartments in Austintown, located outside Youngstown, on Saturday, Nov. 22.
Residents who spoke with WFMJ said they heard a loud noise and felt the building shake just after 12:30 p.m. local time. Video footage obtained by the outlets shows part of the structure exposed, leaving interior walls and items inside the apartment building visible.
Austintown Assistant Fire Chief Tom O’Hara said one individual was quickly taken to a hospital with severe injuries, and several other people sustained minor injuries.
Police are utilizing buses to help evacuate uninjured residents, who will be taken to the Austintown Senior Center or Austintown School District facilities, the outlets reported.
“We are currently performing another search to confirm that we have an all clear on the building,” O’Hara told WFMJ.
“Local and surrounding emergency services are actively working to ensure the safety of all residents and to assess the full extent of the situation and actively working to evacuate residents,” Mahoning County Commissioners told WFMJ in a statement.
Although authorities said the cause of the explosion is currently unknown, witnesses reported smelling an odor of gas.
According to the outlets, uninjured residents could be seen standing in the parking lot, wrapped up in blankets or holding on to their pets.
“It felt like an earthquake,” resident Michael Kosach told WKBN. “I didn’t know how bad it was until I got out.”
“There was a big, loud blast — then boom,” recounted another resident, Don Lampley.
Fellow resident Cindy Duke added, “It felt like a bomb.”
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Phoenix House is a senior resident apartment complex for elderly and disabled people, as well low-income residents, according to WFMJ.
O’Hara said that the structural integrity of the building is currently being investigated.
Authorities said the investigation into the incident is still ongoing. Mahoning County Commissioners have advised people in the vicinity to avoid the area as emergency personnel continue working.
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