STEUBENVILLE — An explosion that rocked homes in the vicinity of McKinley Avenue late Tuesday afternoon is being investigated by the state fire marshal’s office “as well as other agencies,” Fire Chief Joe Ribar said.

“It was a residential abandoned structure on Capitol Avenue,” Ribar said Wednesday. “The entire street is actually abandoned, the city no longer (maintains) it.”

He said the building had been vacant for years and no one was injured.

“Damage up there was just to the structure involved,” he said. “No one else has notified us of any other damage to property in the area.”

Ribar declined further comment, saying the incident remains “under investigation by the fire marshal’s office as well as other agencies.”

Police, however, said the call came in around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. According to their report, first responders had told them “there was evidence of a detonation cord running from the house,” which they said was “severely damaged (with) a debris field around the perimeter.”

A male who’d been shoveling snow on Potter Avenue said he’d heard the boom and “went to investigate,” and actually found the cord running from the house. He also said he noticed “there was a fire that was still warm, like someone had been there,” police reported.

Residents in surrounding neighborhoods reported feeling the rumble from the explosion.

“It was very loud,” Councilman Dave Albaugh said. “It shook my house up on Lincoln Heights. I don’t know what happened or the cause of (it).”