An Ohio apartment building, evacuated after a deadly explosion nearby, could reopen soon

Associated Press

A 16-story apartment building in Ohio may reopen early next month several weeks after it was temporarily shuttered following a deadly natural gas explosion that severely damaged a neighboring building. Youngstown officials had ordered the evacuation of the International Towers on June 10. The order came after an engineering firm determined that the neighboring Realty Tower building remained structurally unsafe and was in danger of collapse. Another nearby building that houses the city’s only hotel was also ordered closed. City officials said this week that enough of the Realty Tower should be demolished by Aug. 2 and that the two shuttered buildings could reopen by that day.