The explosion left one person dead and another injured and caused heavy damage to surrounding homes in the area. Fire officials in Cleveland said the explosion was audible across the community.
"There were heavy damage to multiple houses, whether it was from windows being shot out, blown out, or actual structural damage," East Cleveland Fire Department Chief Robert Benjamin said.
We have seen these types of explosions two times in the Miami Valley.
One home explosion on North Claridge Dr. in Kettering happened in December 2017 leaving 58-year-old Darlene Baumgardner dead after being thrown from her house into a neighbor’s yard.
"When you have heat and oxygen and a fuel source get together in that right mixture, you have a potential for an explosion," Leaming said.
Another home explosion in Fairborn in 2011 left a 71-year-old man dead after a ruptured gas line.
"Those total explosions normally don't happen without some type of a precursor," Leaming said. "Normally, appliances are very safe, the energy is a very safe energy. Something has gone wrong, and something has not either been maintained, or something has been damaged or something, intentionally even, fouled with."
Officials also suggest geting out of the house and call for assistance immediately if you smell natural gas.
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