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The blast sent shockwaves through the area, with nearby windows and doors blown off when the home along Rustic Ridge Drive exploded. It didn't take long before the two homes on both sides also caught fire. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Officer identified the first five victims as 38-year-old Casey Clontz, 12-year-old Keegan Clontz, 51-year-old Heather Oravitz, 55-year-old Kevin Sebunia and 57-year-old Michael Thomas.
Police incident underway in Ligonier, residents asked to avoid the area
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.
victims identified
Investigators determined that it eventually failed after it corroded. 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.
Kevin Sebunia
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]
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.
The Department of Environmental Protection announced Friday that its investigators have completed an analysis of preliminary test results from its stray gas investigation. 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. 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.
Plum House Explosion: Blast Point Of Origin Identified - Patch
Plum House Explosion: Blast Point Of Origin Identified.
Posted: Mon, 11 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Five people were recovered from the scene, including one child, after the explosion. 57 firefighters were treated at the scene due to “minor issues.” They were treated at the scene and then went back to work. Officials have said one was found outside a garage, four were in the basement and the sixth was located and rescued from the rear yard. He was taken to a trauma center where he died several days later. Eighteen fire departments responded to the scene, which remains active. Allegheny County Emergency Management officials and the Allegheny County Fire Marshals are at the scene as well.
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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. 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. 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.
While the exact cause of the blast has yet to be determined, "all findings to date that there are no factors external to the home that exploded that led to the explosion," the fire marshal's office said in a release. Downs said officials don't expect to have information about the cause of the explosion "for quite some time." Crews from at least 18 fire departments worked to douse the flames with the help of water tankers from Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, Downs said. 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.
Agencies continue to investigate last month's deadly blast on Rustic Ridge Drive that killed six people.
The third person remained in critical condition as of Saturday night. Three structures have been destroyed and at least a dozen more are damaged, including with windows blown out. During the initial response, 57 firefighters were treated on the scene for "minor issues" and all returned to duty that day, officials said. Paul Oravitz, 56, died earlier Wednesday at a local hospital, Plum Borough officials and the Allegheny County Office of the Medical Examiner said. The borough also has not yet received any applications for alterations to any houses there.
The cause is under investigation, though the homeowners had been having problems with their hot water tank, officials said Monday. 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. Support services will be available to our students, staff, and community members to ensure that anyone who needs assistance can find comfort and guidance.
He was a student in the Plum School District and loved to play football. "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. Kellen Stepler is a TribLive reporter covering the Allegheny Valley and Burrell school districts and surrounding areas. The property at 141 Rustic Ridge will be turned over to the property owners and representatives.
"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. “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,” Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said, per the AP. “The tank was located in the basement of the home,” county officials said. Per state law, the Fire Marshal’s Office will determine the explosion’s origin and cause at the end of its investigation.
George Emanuele, who lives three houses down from the home that exploded, said he and a neighbor went to the home after the explosion and dragged a man laying in the backyard away from the scene, he told the Tribune-Review. The Allegheny County Office of the Medical Examiner said Paul Oravitz, 56, died Wednesday at an area hospital, Plum Borough and Allegheny County officials said in a news release. 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.
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