House explodes on Cohasset Drive on the South Side

YOUNGSTOWN — Firefighters, city crews, Ohio Edison and Dominion East Ohio Gas employees remain at Cohasset Drive on the South Side, where a house has exploded.

An early report from the scene was: “There is no house,” and that glass and debris are everywhere.

The house at 535 Cohasset Drive was vacant but the house next door at 539 Cohasset is damaged. In addition, at least four homes across the street from the blast had windows that were broken by the force of the explosion.

Debris including a large amount of glass was strewn across the street into neighboring yards more than 100 feet away.

John Mack III, a resident at 539 Cohasset, said he was sleeping at the time of the explosion and was awakened “by glass falling into the bed.”

A neighbor helped Mack and his wife from the house. The couple has lived there for 41 years.

The house that exploded has been abandoned for a while, Mack said.

“But somebody broke into that house last night, I heard someone into there about 1 a.m.,” he said.

A Youngstown fire official told a Vindicator reporter the gas was turned on at the vacant house, and that is believed to be the cause of the explosion.

It is not believed there are any injuries from the blast, authorities said.

This is a breaking news story. Watch Vindy.com for updates.