4 people dead and 1 missing after explosion destroys 3 structures in western Pennsylvania

Table Of Content

• h person dies following Pittsburgh area house explosion, cause of blast still unknown
• WTAE Pittsburgh
• dead, at least 3 hospitalized after home explosion in Plum
• people dead and 1 missing after explosion destroys 3 structures in western Pennsylvania
• reported dead, including teen, after house explosion in Pennsylvania
• Three homes destroyed, 12 others damaged in explosion on Rustic Ridge Drive in Plum

Donations towards the disaster relief can be sent to the Renton Volunteer Fire Department. People's Gas said in a statement the gas to the area has been turned off. Crews continue to work and coordinate with the Allegheny County Fire Marshal.

h person dies following Pittsburgh area house explosion, cause of blast still unknown

Fitzgerald pledged the county’s support and thanked those who came to help from outside Plum and outside the county. Asked whether thoughts of “is my house next” creeps into his mind, he reluctantly agreed. “It just was heart wrenching, heart wrenching,” said Liz Thompson and she and her daughter, Natalie, sat on the porch of their Rustic Ridge home, reflecting on the previous day’s events.

Plum community remembers victims of Rustic Ridge explosion during ‘Festival of Honor’ - WPXI Pittsburgh

Plum community remembers victims of Rustic Ridge explosion during ‘Festival of Honor’.

Posted: Sun, 22 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

WTAE Pittsburgh

It didn't take long before the two homes on both sides also caught fire. There are a lot of questions surrounding Saturday’s house explosion, which is the third house explosion in Plum over the last 15 years. His daughter Emily told us her dad truly had a heart of gold, and that he was the most selfless man and offered a helping hand to everyone. He never lived a day without joy and his family was always his priority. My son was just there a couple of days before playing with Keegan so it’s heartbreaking,” said Brock Harrison, Carl’s Tavern manager. Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experiencebut still support the journalistswho create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.

dead, at least 3 hospitalized after home explosion in Plum

Those include the Monday Market as well as a council meeting and public hearing scheduled for Monday night. As Sunday went on, cars and vehicles full of clothes, food, snacks and more drove to 122 Rustic Ridge Drive to drop off those materials for those whose homes were destroyed. The homeowner, Chris Spudlich, said people can drop stuff off at his home or at 155 Rustic Ridge.

people dead and 1 missing after explosion destroys 3 structures in western Pennsylvania

On Aug. 25, the DEP helped to distribute combustible gas detectors to the 227 houses in Rustic Ridge. The DEP estimated about 90% of the units were picked up for houses in the community, and remaining residents will be contacted by the Rustic Ridge Homeowners Association to collect their detectors if they want them. On-scene investigative efforts also have been completed, the Fire Marshal’s Office said. Joint investigative efforts with agencies including the state’s Department of Environmental Protection and Public Utility Commission, Plum police, Peoples natural gas company and several insurance carriers continue.

Despite that, he described most of the damage as cosmetic, such as plaster, drywall, cracks and popped nails. “We walked through and he confirmed that the house is structurally sound, but there is a lot of cosmetic damage to it,” Hubner said. The explosion’s force hit the left front corner of his house first and hardest, sending a shock wave through to the other side.

reported dead, including teen, after house explosion in Pennsylvania

The Allegheny County Fire Marshal's Office is leading the investigation into the cause and origin of the fire and explosion and the process is expected to take some time. During times like these, we must lean on one another for comfort and strength. Let us continue to extend a helping hand to the affected families, offering our support, condolences, and assistance in any way possible. Together, we can create an environment of compassion and unity that will help us heal. 11 News reached out to Peoples Gas Company to address the community’s concerns.

Gas samples were collected for isotopic analysis from five of those locations, including the area around a leaking gas pipeline, gas in the soil near a Peoples meter and under the foundation of the home. The DEP said inspectors found detectible concentrations of combustible gas throughout the Rustic Ridge area on Aug. 14, but the gas is no longer detectible in soil near the incident. Isotopic samples, which help to identify molecular signatures, were collected Aug. 14 by the DEP and Peoples from soil and a nearby Peoples meter. The home at 141 Rustic Ridge was owned by Paul and Heather Oravitz, and all six victims were inside that home when it exploded. Three homes were destroyed by the blast; 10 homes have been identified as possibly being structurally compromised. The point of origin for a deadly home explosion in Plum on Aug. 12 came from inside the house at 141 Rustic Ridge, the Allegheny County Fire Marshal’s Office said Friday.

Any resident who has questions about gas service in the neighborhood can find updates here. Plum Borough Police Chief Lanny Conley said three other people were taken to the hospital to be treated for injuries. Two of those individuals have been released from the hospital while one remains in critical condition.

Plum house explosion: Video from Sky 4 - Pittsburgh - WTAE Pittsburgh

Plum house explosion: Video from Sky 4 - Pittsburgh.

Posted: Sat, 12 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

His family described him as a football and gymnastics dad through and through. He even was known to challenge his daughter to handstand competitions. But Casey’s greatest love was reserved for wife Jen, Keegan and daughter Addie. “Keegan and Casey were their most happy when they were spending time at the lake with their lake family and friends. They swam, did boating and loved cruising around in their golf cart,” the Clontz family said in a statement to the Trib.

Crews were expected to resume working at the site on Sunday morning. Jeremy Rogers lives two doors down from the house that exploded. Officials said 20 firefighters were treated at the scene, mostly for heat exhaustion.

Officials from the fire marshal’s office to Peoples natural gas to the Public Utility Commission have not divulged details of their investigation. Officials early on said determining a cause of the explosion could take months, if not years. A smaller yet still devastating explosion in 2022 in Plum’s Holiday Park neighborhood remains under investigation by the fire marshal’s office. They watched as emergency and utility crews returned to the scene of a fatal house explosion, searching through debris from three homes destroyed by the blast and subsequent fires. Four people are dead and one is still unaccounted for after a house explosion in Plum, local emergency officials said Saturday night. PLUM, Pa. (AP) — Four people were dead and a fifth was unaccounted for following a house explosion in western Pennsylvania that destroyed three structures and damaged at least a dozen others Saturday morning, authorities said.

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Peoples Gas and other entities involved in the response to this incident. The Safety Division appreciates the cooperation of Plum Borough and Allegheny County, along with various other local and state emergency agencies who have been part of the investigation, as well as residents and others impacted by this incident. The Safety Division recognizes the strong public interest in these types of incidents, especially for those who have been directly impacted, and works to address safety concerns in a timely matter. Still, it is important to understand that these are complex circumstances which may require extensive analyses by engineers and other experts, along with laboratory testing and other technical study before conclusions can be reached. A spokesperson for Peoples Gas said on Wednesday crews will start restoring service, which was shut off to about 50 homes after the explosion.