Pennsylvania house explosion victims: 6th person dies at hospital

Table Of Content

• reported dead, including teen, after house explosion in Pennsylvania
• House explosion victims identified
• victims identified
• State & Local Officials Respond
• House Explosion Under Investigation
• year-old accidentally killed 11-year-old brother with gun near home
• Pennsylvania house explosion victims named; county says house had ‘hot water tank issues’

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.

reported dead, including teen, after house explosion in Pennsylvania

“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.

House explosion victims identified

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.

victims identified

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

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

Posted: Wed, 16 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

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.

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

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

Posted: Tue, 22 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

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.

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.

House Explosion Under Investigation

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.

year-old accidentally killed 11-year-old brother with gun near home

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.

Pennsylvania house explosion victims named; county says house had ‘hot water tank issues’

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 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.

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.

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.

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.