YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — Residents of the Realty Building in downtown Youngstown haven’t been allowed to reenter the building since a deadly explosion that happened there last month. 


What You Need To Know

  • The Realty Building in Youngstown exploded May 28 

  • Residents have not been allowed to return to their homes because building is structurally unsound

  • Many residents are having difficulty finding new housing

Many left the building the day of the explosion with nothing but the clothes they were wearing and their pets. 

Deanna Rossi has lived in the Realty Building with her family for 11 years. She said she was just around the corner when the explosion happened, but her 20-year-old son was in the stairwell of the building when it exploded. 

“He didn’t make it all the way down the stairs, however, he was able to escape through the smoke and debris and get out,” said Rossi. 

She said she’s thankful that her son was mostly unharmed. 

“He missed being massively hurt or worse—because that explosion went all the way up to the 12th floor. He missed it by a little over a minute,” said Rossi. 

She said after the explosion, her first thought was finding her son. 

“I started running toward the building knowing that my son was inside and trying to contact him. At first, I couldn’t get in contact with him and so you can imagine as a mom knowing he was in the building. As I came up on the scene, smoke was clearing. I could see the explosion and the whole first floor being decimated,” said Rossi. 

She said seeing the scene immediately after the explosion was shocking. 

"The firefighters arrived and they started helping people," she said. "We were there as they were pulling individuals who were injured from the bank out, and they were very severely injured It was heartbreaking and it was just surreal."

Since the explosion, Rossi has been staying with family, but this is only a short-term option. She’s heard that other residents of the Realty Building are having the same problem finding housing, especially if they want to stay downtown. 

“I know my neighbors have had similar issues. There are some options here in downtown if you can fit into a studio apartment or something of that nature but there aren’t a lot of rentals,” said Rossi. 

A growing group of people want to see the historic Realty Building saved, but Rossi said she just wants the city to follow the safest course of action.