Ohio city orders apartment building evacuation after deadly blast at neighboring site

By BRUCE SHIPKOWSKI
Associated Press

Residents have been ordered to evacuate a 16-story apartment building in Ohio due to concerns about the stability of a neighboring building that was severely damaged by a deadly natural gas explosion last month. A directive issued Monday by Youngstown officials gives residents of the International Towers building 72 hours to leave the site. The order came after an engineering firm determined that the neighboring Realty Tower building remains structurally unsafe and is in “danger of imminent collapse.” About 170 people live in the International Towers, and city officials planned to meet with them Tuesday to discuss relocation efforts.