Table Of Content
- Featured Local Savings
- Plum house explosion: Pennsylvania DEP investigating pinhole-sized leak behind homes
- PHOTOS: House explosion in Plum Borough
- reported dead, including teen, after house explosion in Pennsylvania
- Plum House Explosion: What we’ve learned about the 6 victims, the legacies left behind
- FBI warning public of scam regarding debt for toll road services across several states

Our thoughts are with the Plum residents impacted by an explosion and fires in their neighborhood this morning. Our emergency services team are on scene along with our fire marshals. We stand ready to provide any resources necessary for this community. The Allegheny County Fire Marshal’s office has confirmed the house that exploded had hot water tank issues. Heather Oravitz, 51, community development director for the borough, lived in the house that exploded and was killed, the Plum Borough mayor confirms. Her husband, Paul Oravitz, was in the hospital in critical condition but later died from his injuries, sources tell Channel 11.
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The results of the testing confirm there are no factors outside of the house that led to the explosion, the fire marshal said. Michael Thomas, 57, also was a neighbor of the Oravitz family who was in the house when it exploded. Keegan played football for the Plum Mustangs and would have started junior high in a week and a half, the newspaper reported. Casey Clontz, 38, was a massive Pittsburgh Steelers fan and made sure everyone knew it, proudly tattooing his love of the team on his leg. "Please give us some time to deal with this situation and give the families your respect and give them some space to deal with this tragedy," Conley said. Downs said officials don't expect to have information about the cause of the explosion "for quite some time."
Plum house explosion: Pennsylvania DEP investigating pinhole-sized leak behind homes
Plum community continues to rebuild 3 months after tragic house explosion - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Plum community continues to rebuild 3 months after tragic house explosion.
Posted: Tue, 14 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
The fire marshal said it will continue to work with local officials on further remediation efforts to make the scene safe. One of the two pipelines, a suction line to a compressor station, was known to be leaking but was taken out of commission a week before the explosion, the DEP said. The other pipeline, a gathering line that ties into the suction line, was taken out of service immediately after the explosion “out of an abundance of caution.” On Aug. 15, that gathering line passed a pressure test with no leaks detected. Investigators inspected seven conventional oil and gas wells and two gathering pipelines after the explosion and ruled they were all in compliance. Those wells and pipelines were within a 2,500-foot radius of the home.
PHOTOS: House explosion in Plum Borough
Fifty-seven firefighters were treated at the scene for minor issues. 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. PLUM, Pa. — Five people were found dead after a house explosion in western Pennsylvania that destroyed three structures and damaged at least a dozen others, authorities said Sunday.
reported dead, including teen, after house explosion in Pennsylvania
My Administration and @PEMAHQ are coordinating with and supporting county and local emergency responders. Pennsylvania fire officials are still investigating the cause of a house explosion which left five people, including a child, dead and several other homes damaged, officials said Monday. The cause of the explosion is under investigation by Plum and county law enforcement and the county fire marshal’s office. The state public utilities commission and local utilities also were at the scene. The cause of the explosion is under investigation by Plum and county law enforcement agencies and the county fire marshal’s office.
Plum House Explosion: What we’ve learned about the 6 victims, the legacies left behind
According to authorities, at least three "structures" were destroyed with at least a dozen houses damaged, including windows blown out. “I am in constant communication with Governor Shapiro, who has expressed his unwavering support for the Plum community and for the use of all available investigative measures. At the Governor’s request, an extensive amount of testing has been completed. Over the next few days additional testing will be conducted and shared with the public appropriately,” added Negrin. State investigators are now searching for stray gas near the site of a home explosion in Plum, Allegheny County on Saturday, Aug. 12 that killed six people. Three people were transported to area hospitals, including one who was listed in critical condition and two who were treated and released.
What we know about the Pennsylvania home explosion that killed 6
Paul Oravitz, 56, who had severe burns over most of his body, died Wednesday in a Pittsburgh hospital, four days after the explosion in Plum. PLUM, Pa. (AP) — The co-owner of a home that exploded in western Pennsylvania last weekend has died from injuries he suffered in the blast, which also killed his wife and four other people. Wednesday, Paul Oravitz, 56, died in the hospital from his injuries, Allegheny County officials confirm. Since the explosion, Zarroli has struggled with understanding why it happened. Zarroli and his wife first lived in another house in Rustic Ridge.
The cause is under investigation, though the homeowners had been having problems with their hot water tank, officials said Monday. Steve Imbarlina, the assistant chief for Allegheny County emergency services, said that two of the injured people had been released from the hospital and a third was in critical condition on Sunday afternoon. A company spokesperson said Wednesday that it had completed additional system testing with the Fire Marshal’s office and the state Public Utility Commission, meaning it can now begin restoring gas service.

New details emerge in Pa. house explosion investigation: DEP
“There are three structures destroyed and at least a dozen more damaged in some way,” authorities said. “The tank was located in the basement of the home,” county officials said. Peoples Natural Gas said Saturday night on its website that it shut off gas service to about 50 homes in the area as a precaution. He said that gas and electrical services were shut off to most of the area Saturday "out of an abundance of caution" and that officials planned to work to restore some of the services. Bishop David Zubik hosted a prayer service for the community on Tuesday at Saint John the Baptist Church in Plum.
The DEP evaluated the coal seam near Plum, Pa. and noted no nearby shafts or drill/boreholes in the area of the explosion, concluding the chance of the gas issue coming from an abandoned mine is very low. Abandoned mine features are not part of the DEP’s investigation at this time. “From the moment DEP was called in to investigate, our experts have worked tirelessly alongside county officials and partner agencies to aid in identifying the cause,” said DEP Secretary Rich Negrin. Negrin says members of his department will be in Plum for the duration of the investigation and it may start to get a clearer picture of what happened soon. Negrin said the governor has ordered the results of all of the samples taken to be expedited, which means those results could be coming in as early as the end of this week. PLUM, Pa. (KDKA) — The secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection said the agency is determined to find out the cause of the deadly house explosion in Plum.
The Plum Borough officials and the Allegheny County Office of the Medical Examiner identified them as Casey Clontz, 38; his son, Keegan Clontz, 12; Heather Oravitz, 51; Kevin Sebunia, 55; and Michael Thomas, 57. “Please give us some time to deal with this situation and give the families your respect and give them some space to deal with this tragedy,” Conley said. 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. The video shows Ring doorbell footage of the blast that blew out windows and doors throughout the neighborhood.
Governor Josh Shapiro’s administration is working with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) as it conducts its investigation. It’s upsetting, but it pales in comparison to what everybody else is going through. Soboslay said the borough is continuing to get calls from residents asking for an inspector to look at properties.
The cause of the explosion remains under investigation, the office said, and there is no time frame for when the probe will be completed. The investigation at the scene of the explosion has been completed and the property is being returned to its owners, the agency said in a release. The Allegheny County fire marshal’s office said all potential outside factors were eliminated, including wells, pipelines and other utilities, pinpointing the source as a home on Rustic Ridge Drive in Plum Borough. Police said at least three people were taken to area hospitals with two in stable condition, both of whom have since been released. The third person remained in critical condition as of Saturday night.
Support services will be available to our students, staff, and community members to ensure that anyone who needs assistance can find comfort and guidance. We will open our doors for healing and reflection, where memories can be shared and celebrated. It is our collective responsibility to ensure the emotional well-being of our students and families as we navigate this unimaginable tragedy. All day Tuesday, crews with Peoples Gas were out along Rustic Ridge Drive, with a blue tent set up and an excavator, digging in a yard roughly three houses down from the home that exploded. We’re told Peoples Gas drilled holes on either side of the line and they’re testing the line.
11 News reached out to Peoples Gas Company to address the community’s concerns. They said they are providing their resources to help the Allegheny County fire marshal in this investigation, including additional tests of their system. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Rustic Ridge neighborhood sits on top of abandoned mine land and is surrounded by shallow oil and gas wells.
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