Elderly woman found dead after car crash sparks building explosion in Cleveland, firefighters say
CLEVELAND (WJW) — A woman who lived in an apartment building that exploded after a Sunday evening car crash struck a gas pipe has been found dead.
The 68-year-old woman was previously unaccounted for and responders began searching for her, according to a previous news release. Just before 11 a.m. on Monday, a spokesperson for Cleveland Division of Fire said the woman had been located and that her body was being recovered by the county medical examiner.
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Emergency responders were on scene Sunday evening after a driver lost control of their vehicle and crashed into an apartment building on Cleveland’s east side.
Cleveland Police, Fire and EMS were called to the 3400 block of East 139th Street around 8 p.m. after a black Dodge Challenger smashed through the front of the building and crashed into another property next door, CFD Assistant PIO John Kearns told FOX 8. The driver was not found at the scene.
Cleveland Division of Fire confirmed to FOX 8 that the building then exploded. Shortly before the explosion, some residents reported smelling gas.
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According to a Monday morning press release from the Cleveland Division of Fire, this incident is under investigation, but it appears that a gas pipe was broken when the vehicle hit the building.
“I’m shaken up,” resident Moneike Rembert said. “I don’t have anywhere to live now. That was my house. As a young person like me, 20 years old, this is all I got. And my car on the side of the house, got the whole house on my car.”
According to the release, another woman was rescued from the rubble. She appeared uninjured and left the scene. Four other adults were displaced from the apartment building.
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Officials say the home will be demolished as soon as the Cleveland Department of Building and Housing finishes its investigation. The Red Cross is also working to help displaced residents.
According to a release, two firefighters were taken from the scene to the hospital with minor injuries.
Anyone with information on the case should contact the accident investigation unit at 216-623-5295.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.
