Overview

• Five people were rushed to MetroHealth Medical Center following the blast, including two children aged 10 and 11, with some patients undergoing surgery for serious burns.
• As flames engulfed the 44-unit building, residents dropped a baby from a third-floor window and used improvised bedsheet ropes to escape.
• Fire crews from 22 companies responded to the fire, which spread rapidly through a void space beneath the apartment’s false roof.
• The explosion caused an estimated $3.5 million in damage and left 125 to 150 tenants displaced and seeking shelter at the Zelma Watson George Recreation Center.
• Cleveland Councilman Richard Starr confirmed that victims suffered second- and third-degree burns over significant portions of their bodies and require ongoing intensive care.