Austintown Township Trustees declare state of emergency following apartment complex explosion
AUSTINTOWN TWP., Ohio - Austintown Township trustees have declared a state of emergency following an explosion at Phoenix House, a senior and low income apartment complex.
Late Saturday evening, trustees held an emergency meeting where they passed a motion to declare a state of emergency.
Trustees also passed a motion to use up to $10,000 from the Westchester fund for emergency housing. The Westchester fund was given to township trustees by a community donor several years ago.
Trustees say they are working to relocate Phoenix House residents, who were evacuated from the building and moved temporarily to Austintown Elementary School. They say there are arrangements in place to house everyone by the end of the night.
"I would just like to make sure all the residents know our main concern was their safety and their health. Their safety was well taken care of and they were brought [to Austintown Elementary School]," said Monica Deavers, an Austintown Township Trustee.
Austintown's Assistant Fire Chief Tom O'Hara gave a brief update that the Ohio State Fire Marshal Investigation Unit is assisting Austintown Fire with the ongoing investigation. O'Hara says it is still too early to speculate what caused the explosion.
O'Hara added that the scene of the explosion is secured and no one will be allowed back into the building. O'Hara says crews will return to the location Sunday morning to continue investigating.
Closing the meeting, trustees acknowledged the flood of support from the community and beyond during the incident.
"Everyone did such a great job. Our community outpour was amazing. Thank you Austintown and anyone around Austintown that helped. It was remarkable," said Deavers.
Shortly after 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon, crews responded to an explosion at Phoenix House near North Meridian Road and I-680 in Austintown Township.
Phoenix House is listed as a senior resident apartment for elderly and disabled citizens, along with low-income residents. The building houses roughly 130 people in total.
O'Hara said one person was severely injured in the explosion and was quickly taken to the hospital. Other injuries were reported to be minor, with multiple "walking wounded" that were not taken to the hospital.
21 News will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.
Related Coverage:
