Overview
- The Nov. 22 explosion at the Phoenix House apartments in Austintown injured multiple residents, including one person taken to a hospital with more severe injuries, and no deaths have been reported.
- The Ohio State Fire Marshal is assisting the local fire department, the cause remains undetermined, and investigators say heavy debris is complicating the examination.
- Austintown trustees declared a state of emergency and authorized up to $10,000 from a community fund to support emergency housing for tenants.
- Residents were evacuated by WRTA buses to the Austintown Senior Center and schools, then placed in nursing homes and hotels, and the building remains secured with no tenant access.
- Officials are assessing structural integrity, organizing limited vehicle removal and a plan for retrieving belongings, with the Animal Charity Humane Society and the Red Cross coordinating assistance and pet reunification.