Plum house explosion: 6th person dies; cause of blast remains unknown CBS Pittsburgh

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• House Explosion Under Investigation
• Cause of deadly explosion came from inside Plum home, Allegheny County Fire Marshal says
• Plum house explosion: Pennsylvania DEP investigating pinhole-sized leak behind homes
• dead after Pennsylvania house explosion
• KXTV would like to send you push notifications about the latest news and weather.
• reported dead, including teen, after house explosion in Pennsylvania
• FBI warning public of scam regarding debt for toll road services across several states

According to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner, Paul Oravitz died Wednesday. Both were rushed to the hospital, but they’re now physically OK. Keegan Clontz, 12, was the youngest person killed in the explosion. He was a student in the Plum School District and loved to play football. If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. If inspectors find sufficient levels of combustible gas, such as methane, soil samples will be taken for later analysis in a laboratory.

Pennsylvania house explosion victims named; county says house had 'hot water tank issues' - USA TODAY

Pennsylvania house explosion victims named; county says house had 'hot water tank issues'.

Posted: Tue, 15 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

House Explosion Under Investigation

Both were rushed to the hospital, but they’re now physically okay. State officials had previously ruled out natural gas from an abandoned underground mine as a cause. Authorities have also said the home’s owners had been having problems with their hot water tank. The development is on abandoned mine land surrounded by shallow oil and gas wells, some of which have been abandoned. PLUM, Pa. — Six people were killed in the house explosion in Plum on Saturday.

Cause of deadly explosion came from inside Plum home, Allegheny County Fire Marshal says

It is with great sorrow that I write about the devastating incident that occurred in our Rustic Ridge neighborhood. The house explosion resulted in the tragic loss of life felt across our community. On behalf of the entire school district, I want to express my deepest sympathies and offer support to our school community affected by this tragedy. The explosion in Plum, about 20 miles east of Pittsburgh, was so powerful that it all but leveled the home and started multiple fires at nearby houses.

Plum house explosion: Pennsylvania DEP investigating pinhole-sized leak behind homes

Per state law, the Fire Marshal’s Office will determine the explosion’s origin and cause at the end of its investigation. There is no time frame for when the investigation will be complete. As of Friday, the Fire Marshal’s Office had completed scene safety and security, additional agency notifications, witness statements and interviews, and processing of the incident site.

This is not the first time a home has exploded in Plum Borough. People who live along Rustic Ridge Drive say that when the explosion happened, it was the loudest sound they've ever heard. But, Allegheny County is asking people to avoid the area if they have no reason to be there. "In the meantime, we are bringing all of our resources to bear to help the Allegheny County fire marshal," Peoples Gas President Mike Huwar said. Allegheny County officials say that the investigation could take months or even years. Following the explosion, utilities were shut off due to safety concerns, but electricity has been restored to all but the immediate area surrounding the blast.

One leak was along Kathy Lynn Drive and the other was at Crestview and Mower drives. The Regency Park and Rustic Ridge neighborhoods are about a 10-minute drive apart. Crews completed additional system testing with the Allegheny County fire marshal and Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission on Tuesday night, Peoples Gas said. To this point, there are holds on the three destroyed properties. This means nothing will be done to them, and any demolition would have to be approved by the borough.

“They cared about the community and everybody in it, including the kids, including the people. Big time,” Lucas said when speaking of his friend Paul and Paul’s wife Heather. Paul Oravitz, 56, died in the hospital Wednesday afternoon following the explosion. On Saturday, People's Gas had shut off gas service at 50 homes in the neighborhood "as a precaution," saying they could not estimate when service would be restored. Andy Zarroli might be the first of nearly a dozen homeowners in Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood to know his house can be repaired following the fatal house explosion two weeks ago. PLUM, Pa. — The Allegheny County Fire Marshal said the Plum explosion that killed six people last month came from inside the house at 141 Rustic Ridge Drive.

The explosion, which occurred in Plum, Pennsylvania, about 20 miles east of Pittsburgh, has killed six people, including a child, and left several homes damaged. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro tweeted that he and his wife, Lori, were praying for the victims, adding that his office was working with state emergency management officials to assist local emergency responders. First responders found people trapped under debris and two homes "engulfed in fire," in addition to one that appeared to have exploded and multiple others with the windows blown out, according to the post. Three days after the deadly house explosion in Plum's Rustic Ridge neighborhood, crews investigated two gas leaks in Plum's Regency Park neighborhood on Tuesday. A spokesperson for Peoples Gas said on Wednesday crews will start restoring service, which was shut off to about 50 homes after the explosion. The cause of the explosion and fire is under investigation, Steve Imbarlina, the assistant chief for Allegheny County emergency services, said.

FBI warning public of scam regarding debt for toll road services across several states

The Public Utilities Commission says it’s monitoring these integrity tests. The PUC added that they’re investigating if public utility infrastructure or operations contributed to the cause and circumstances surrounding the explosion. People should call 911 and the gas company from outside the house, not reenter it and wait for first responders to arrive. The DEP has been working with local authorities and first responders since the explosion that killed six people on Aug. 12. The state agency has had a handful of experts on the ground collecting samples to determine any possible sources of methane in the area. As investigators try to figure out what caused a house explosion in Pennsylvania that killed six people, their loved ones are reeling from the unimaginable loss.

Investigators say cause of fatal Plum explosion came from inside the home - TribLIVE

Investigators say cause of fatal Plum explosion came from inside the home.

Posted: Fri, 08 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Emergency responders reported people trapped under debris after the blast leveled one house and left two others engulfed in flames, county spokesperson Amie Downs said. Crews from at least 18 fire departments worked to douse the flames with the help of water tankers from Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. The cause of the blast — which destroyed three structures and damaged at least a dozen others — remains under investigation, but officials have said Oravitz and his wife, Heather, were having issues with their hot water tank. The Allegheny County fire marshal’s office is leading the investigation, along with local law enforcement. Emergency responders reported people trapped under debris after one house apparently exploded and two others were engulfed in flames, county spokesperson Amie Downs said. Of the three people taken to hospitals, two were released while one remained in critical condition, said Steve Imbarlina, deputy director of fire and emergency services for Allegheny County.

Casey Clontz, 38, Keegan Clontz, 12, Heather Oravitz, 51, Kevin Sebunia, 55, and Michael Thomas, 57, all died Saturday. As of Saturday night, crews and investigators paused efforts, citing weather and "safety concerns," and said they plan to resume Sunday, Aug. 13.

They and four others in the house at the time — Michael Thomas, Kevin Sebunia, and father-and-son Casey and Keegan Clontz — were killed. Officials told reporters at the scene they did not know exactly who was at home and who may have had visitors at the time of the explosion, so they could not provide an exact number of people considered missing. The homeowners, Heather and Paul Oravitz, were the only members of their family known to be inside at the time of the explosion. "This is certainly a sad, sad day and a sad time, for not just the folks in Plum but all the folks in the community and in this region," said Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald.

The state Public Utility Commission and local utilities also were at the scene. Six people were killed, including a child, in a Pennsylvania house explosion over the weekend that caused multiple injuries, leveled two other homes and damaged at least a dozen residences, according to authorities. Three homes on Rustic Ridge Drive were leveled by the explosion, and about a dozen others were damaged, county officials said at a news conference Saturday night.

Despite this tragedy causing so much heartache, the community has been stepping up to help one another and first responders, donating things like food and water. Now technicians will go door to door to conduct a safety check and relight appliances. If residents aren't home, Peoples Gas said workers will leave a door hanger with customer service contact information and crews will be available on a 24/7 basis until service is fully restored. On Sunday night, an officer monitoring the site noticed that a hotspot had begun smoking. Any resident who has questions about gas service in the neighborhood can find updates here.

The fire marshal is still investigating last year’s house explosion in Plum along Hialeah Drive. PLUM BOROUGH, Pa. — Six people are dead after an explosion on Rustic Ridge Drive in Plum Borough that destroyed three homes and damaged at least a dozen more. 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.