YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — The investigation into the deadly natural gas explosion at the Realty Tower continues, as the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released new documents this week. The incident, which occurred on May 28, 2024, resulted in the death of a bank employee and significant injuries to others, prompting legal actions against multiple companies involved in the building’s management and gas services.
The NTSB has yet to determine the explosion’s exact cause, but the released documents suggest that efforts by the East Ohio Gas Company to shut off the gas line may have been inadequate. An initial report from the NTSB indicated that workers who attempted to cut into an inactive gas line mistakenly believed it was no longer under pressure, raising concerns regarding the safety protocols in place at the time.
Among the 52 documents shared were insights from East Ohio Gas Co.’s records, detailing previous attempts to terminate gas service in the Realty Tower’s basement. Notably, the documentation revealed inconsistencies and insufficient records confirming that service was properly disconnected.
NTSB spokesman Keith Holloway emphasized that the latest information is purely factual, and the investigation’s final analysis, including the probable cause, is expected to take 12 to 24 months to conclude. Holloway cautioned against jumping to conclusions based on the preliminary data.
The explosion at approximately 2:44 p.m. claimed the life of Akil Drake, an employee at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, as he was working inside the building. The blast not only caused injuries but also led to the demolition of the Realty Tower, altering the landscape of downtown Youngstown.
In the aftermath, legal action was taken against various companies associated with the Realty Tower and the gas infrastructure. In September 2023, Enbridge Inc. announced its acquisition of several U.S.-based natural gas utilities, including East Ohio Gas Co., which had been under Dominion Energy prior to the transaction in March 2024.
The NTSB documents also pointed out that a supposedly deactivated service line had been erroneously recorded as abandoned in a 2015 record. This discrepancy came into focus when the Public Utilities Protection Service alerted East Ohio Gas in 2017 about an unmarked pipeline potentially experiencing a leak; responses from company personnel confirmed that no active leak existed, indicating previous maintenance records might misrepresent the line’s status.
Additionally, infrastructure markings in the vicinity of the Realty Tower were completed earlier this year but failed to clearly identify the problematic inactive line. This oversight has raised questions regarding protocol adherence in gas line management.
Following the explosion, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio began reviewing the Enbridge Gas Customer Care System, uncovering that multiple service lines may have been wrongly designated as abandoned. To address these inconsistencies, the company has launched a broader initiative to examine gas services across Ohio, aiming to rectify any erroneous records.
Changes to internal policies have also been implemented as a direct response to the incident, particularly regarding protocols for service line abandonment. Enbridge has initiated a quality control program to ensure that all records accurately reflect physical conditions, striving to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
As local authorities and federal agencies push for answers, the community continues to grapple with the aftermath of the Realty Tower explosion, highlighting the importance of stringent safety measures in urban areas reliant on natural gas infrastructure.