Cleveland Plain Dealer Reports Ohio Explosion

The Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper has been giving updates of this morning’s Ohio explosion that destroyed three houses and damaging at least 12 other homes. The explosion happened at Federal Drive and East 177th Street, near Interstate 480.

The site of the blast is now a hole in the ground. The house that once stood there was vacant. Fire Chief Paul Stubbs said the blast is similar to a fire in January that investigators ruled was arson. William Calderwood is on trial this week in that case.

“This is a devastating explosion,” Stubbs said of the Federal Drive blast. “It is very similar to West 83rd Street.”

Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have arrived at the scene to help investigate.
Neighbors said today that people have been going in and out of the house on Federal Drive. They also said they smelled gas in the area Tuesday. Stubbs said those reports did not come in to the fire department.