YOUNGSTOWN - The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office confirms 63-year-old Steven D. Smith died Tuesday in a Cleveland hospital following the Phoenix House explosion in Austintown.

Fire officials said Smith was blown out of his apartment during the explosion and was found on a roof awning, waving for help before he was rushed to the hospital.

A friend of his who lives next door says Smith suffered a lot of injuries that ultimately led to his death.

"He took the brunt of the explosion," Dion Taylor of Youngstown said, "He got blown out of his apartment onto the roof, and suffered a lot of broken bones, complications, pneumonia, it was just a whole lot..."

He said Smith had already been living with significant health challenges before the explosion.

"He doesn't have any family here at all, besides Phoenix House, which is his family," he said. 

They describe him as someone who relied on the support of the people around him, but also went out of his way to help others.

"Steve was a very caring person," he added, "He would literally walk to the store all day for people." 

Smith was the only resident critically injured in the blast.

Around 141 people were evacuated from the building.

Fire investigators said the blast is consistent with a natural gas explosion, but the official cause has not yet been determined.

The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office said the exact cause of his death is still pending.