Cleveland, Ohio, Neighbors File Suit Over House Explosion

Owners of damaged homes nearby are suing a gas company and the owner of a house in Cleveland that blew up in January.

The lawsuit filed in a Cuyahoga County court blames Dominion East Ohio Gas Co. and property owner EZ Access Funding for the Jan. 25 explosion, which damaged 57 buildings on Cleveland’s west side.

Fire investigators have not identified the cause of the blast, but the suit claims Dominion failed to completely cut off gas to the house that exploded, despite residents’ complaints of a gas smell. The lawsuit says EZ Access Funding didn’t keep the vacant home properly maintained.

A Dominion spokesman declined to comment on the suit. Attorney Gerald Walton, representing EZ Access Funding, says the company is not at fault.

Information from: The Plain Dealer, http://www.cleveland.com