A crew working in the basement of an Ohio building deliberately cut a gas line, unaware it was pressurized before a deadly explosion this week, the National Transportation Safety Board said Friday.
The crew was there to clear pipes, aging infrastructure and debris from the basement in anticipation of a city project that would replace the sidewalks, CBS affiliate WKBN reported.
Employees told NTSB investigators that they did not smell any gas while working earlier in the day.
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NTSB board member Chapman said this shows there was not a slow, continuous leak.
Chapman said the workers were unaware the pipe in question was pressurized or contained gas.
The explosion occurred six minutes after crews cut the line, Chapman said.
As News Center 7 previously reported, seven people were taken to the hospital after the explosion.
Akil Drake, 27, an employee of the Chase Bank branch in the building, was found dead.
NTSB is leading the investigation into the explosion.
