YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — Officials from the Youngstown Fire Department have given an all clear to return downtown after a reported natural gas leak led to an evacuation on Friday afternoon.
In a post on social media, the Youngstown Professional Fire Fighters Local 312 wrote: "Downtown is now reopened and all events scheduled for this evening are a full go."
Earlier in the afternoon, fire officials sent out the following advisory: "Please AVOID downtown Youngstown and surrounding areas. Buildings are currently being evacuated for a natural gas leak."
According to 21 News WFMJ in Youngstown, a two-block radius from the George Voinovich Government Center was issued a mandatory evacuation. The evacuations included Youngstown City Hall and the Youngstown Police Department.
Youngstown State University also issued a "Penguin Alert" ordering the immediate evacuation of the campus.
"Employees will be paid the remainder of the day, there is no need to turn in leave. Students should also leave campus, immediately For those living on campus, they should also vacate their living quarters," YSU wrote in a post on its Facebook page.
3News received the following statement from Enbridge Gas Ohio:
"Enbridge Gas representatives are onsite in downtown Youngstown actively investigating a reported odor of natural gas.
"Public safety is the top priority, and the Fire Department has evacuated buildings in a two-block area around the Voinovich Building as a safety precaution.
"Our trained crews are walking the area and scoping for the presence of natural gas inside and outside buildings in this area."
The report of a gas leak comes just over two weeks after a deadly blast inside the Realty Tower building in downtown Youngstown that resulted in the death of a Chase Bank employee.
This is a developing story. Stay with 3News for more details as they become available.
Previous Reporting:
- Amid fears of Realty Tower collapse, Youngstown mayor orders residents in nearby apartment building to evacuate
- NTSB: Crew cut gas line they thought was turned off 6 minutes before deadly Youngstown building explosion
- National Transportation Safety Board says cut gas line will be 'central focus' of Youngstown building explosion investigation
- Updates: 1 found dead after explosion at Chase Bank building in Youngstown