ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published on July 16, 2016
REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio — Gas company officials say their natural gas mains and service lines didn’t cause an explosion at a Reynoldsburg apartment complex.
Columbia Gas of Ohio says in a statement Friday that it did a thorough investigation of the complex and determined the gas main and service lines serving it are safe.
Thursday night’s blast destroyed a maintenance building, blew out neighboring apartment windows and damaged nearby homes. No one was in the building at the time, and there were no injuries.
Columbia Gas says it will restore gas service to the 36 customers affected once residents are allowed back into their units.
It says it will continue working with the Truro Township Fire Department, the City of Columbus Fire Department and the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio on their investigation.
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Still no cause of explosion that leveled building at Reynoldsburg apartment complex
JULY 15, 2016
Century City Apartments resident Yamaguchi Kyo was relaxing Thursday evening when the shock wave from a nearby explosion rattled his walls.
Kyo said he was a bit rattled himself as he joined a growing group of neighbors who had assembled in the apartment building parking lot to see what had caused the explosion moments earlier.
Truro Township Fire Chief Steve Hein said the cause of the explosion that demolished the apartment complex’s maintenance building in Reynoldsburg has not been determined.
City of Reynoldsburg workers were still sweeping up the glass from the row of apartments across from the maintenance building on Century City North as Truro Township Fire Department and Columbia Gas of Ohio arrived Friday morning to continue the investigation into what caused the building to explode and catch fire.
Reynoldsburg police, as well as a special duty officer, have been assigned to patrol the apartment complex area in the wake of the incident.
Columbia Gas of Ohio crews were on scene to gather more information, working in conjunction with other officials, including the Truro Township Fire Department.
“I can’t confirm any type of cause right now,” spokeswoman Kelli Nowinsky said. “We still do not know, so our investigation is still ongoing.”
Hein said flammable, compressed gas was being stored in the building, but added he couldn’t assign cause until Columbia Gas concluded initial tests.
Lisa Thomas, who lives about 100 yards from the explosion site, said she was watching TV when her living-room window shattered. She said she heard three loud booms. The first two bangs occurred within seconds of one another. Her electricity went out with the first.
“It threw me into shock,” she said, staring at the pile of rubble and lumber left after the explosion. An electric transformer is perched beside the site.
The maintenance building stands alone, across a small street from the closest apartment building. No injuries as a result of the explosion have been reported.
Hein estimated that between 84 and 90 apartment units suffered damage Thursday night.
Residents with broken windows will have to be moved, Hein said. Crews had boarded up the shattered windows along the rows of apartments facing the maintenance building. The boarded windows would make it difficult for firefighters to enter the building in the event of a fire, he said.
Miami Ratcliff, senior property manager at Homestead America, the property management company for Century City Apartments, said her main concern, now knowing there are no injuries, is ensuring displaced residents have somewhere to live while buildings undergo maintenance.
The American Red Cross had been on scene since Thursday night, helping coordinate the relocation of residents.
Some residents were relocated Thursday night to the nearby Days Inn and Red Roof Inn.
“The hotel was good, but there’s no place like home,” said Craig Scott, whose apartment was damaged on Thursday.
Homestead America employees escorted tenants into their apartments Friday afternoon to gather belongings before leaving for a shelter at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers building on Lancaster Avenue.
“It’s a tough time for anyone who goes through this type of experience, but the sense of community here is great, people helping out their neighbors, making sure their neighbors are good, and our volunteers are right there beside them,” she said.
The location can handle tenants for at least several nights, said Jordan Tetting, spokeswoman for the Red Cross. There, tenants will have access to a warm meal, snacks, water, cots and blankets, as well as toiletries. Nurses will be at the shelter, as well as games and coloring books for children.
Still, for four-year resident Scott, the experience has been stressful. He is not looking forward to the shelter and uncertainty of when he might be able to move back in.
And, as the former apartment maintenance technician, the incident has been mystifying. He said he spent a lot of time in the maintenance building, and said it was well-maintained when he last worked in it last year.
“The whole time I was here, we never had a gas leak in there,” he said. “Everything was put up correctly, all the chemicals were in the little chemical bag that said ‘hazardous’ on it. It had a lock on it. So, I don’t understand it. I’m puzzled.”
