Report on Rainbow Terrace blast points to gas leak but says cause 'undetermined'

Originally published on signalcleveland.org

More than a year after an explosion at Rainbow Terrace killed one person and injured four others, city officials said a gas leak was most likely the cause of the blast.

But a fire investigation could not conclusively identify a reason for the June 2025 explosion, officials said. Investigators did not pinpoint a heat source that ignited the gas. Nor could they say what caused the leak in the lower levels of the building.

The official cause of the explosion is listed as "undetermined" in a report the city released Monday.

Mayor Justin Bibb called that conclusion "deeply frustrating" at a news conference Monday morning.

"It's frustrating for me, and it's frustrating to the entire community," he said. "The fact that after this much time and an extensive investigation, we still cannot tell residents exactly what caused the explosion is incredibly difficult, and people deserve clear answers."

Read more on signalcleveland.org