MEDINA, Ohio – The Medina city government has partnered with a local church to accept donations that will assist residents affected by a deadly Thursday apartment explosion.
Medina apartment explosion
The explosion and subsequent fire happened about 3:15 a.m. at the Medina Village Apartments on Springbrook Drive near Crestwood Park, officials said. An 18-year-old bedridden man died after the apartment collapsed.
The man’s mother and father suffered burns on over 80 percent of their bodies, officials said.
The explosion displaced residents of the apartment complex, and the city is working with the American Red Cross and Salvation Army to assist them with “immediate needs,” according to a news release from Medina Mayor Dennis Hanwell.
The city is working with the United Church of Christ, 217 East Liberty Street, to set up a funding source for ongoing donations, Hanwell said. The church is accepting clothing, gift cards and personal care items.
Donations will be accepted at the church weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., through Feb. 24, Hanwell said. The church is also setting up a fund through Huntington Bank for cash donations.
Fire officials have not yet said what caused the explosion. However, a resident of the complex told cleveland.com that he smelled gas after some construction on the property was recently completed, and he never heard anything back from maintenance after he complained about the smell.
The company that performed the construction, SageWater, told cleveland.com that the work was to repair water lines, and that the city had inspected the construction three weeks ago.
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