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"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.
Investigators pinpoint house as source of explosion that killed 6 near Pittsburgh last month
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 homeowners, Heather and Paul Oravitz, were the only members of their family known to be inside at the time of the explosion. 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.
House Explosion Under Investigation
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.
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Tribune Live reported that neighbors attending a vigil for the victims on Tuesday described the corner where the house once stood as a "fraternity row" because everyone was friends and always spending time together. Bishop David Zubik hosted a prayer service for the community on Tuesday at Saint John the Baptist Church in Plum. "This is certainly a sad day and sad time not just for the folks in Plum but all the folks in the community and in this region," Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said.
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The cause of the explosion is under investigation by the county fire marshal's office along with borough and county law enforcement. Imbarlina warned that the investigation would be a "slow and long process" that would include a lot of forensic testing and could last "months if not years." Two firefighters stand on the debris around the smoldering wreckage of the the three houses that exploded near Rustic Ridge Drive and Brookside Drive in Plum, Pa., on Saturday. A sixth person has died after a house exploded in Pennsylvania as fire officials continue to investigate the cause of the explosion, officials said Wednesday. 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.
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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. 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. Many doors will need to be rehung because they are sticking from the house moving.
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.
Plum explosion victims: 6 dead identified in Pennsylvania house blast - USA TODAY
Plum explosion victims: 6 dead identified in Pennsylvania house blast.
Posted: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
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.
House explosion victims identified
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.
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.
A recent history of house explosions in the Pittsburgh area - CBS Pittsburgh
A recent history of house explosions in the Pittsburgh area.
Posted: Wed, 13 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
More than 20 firefighters were evaluated, many for heat exhaustion, authorities said. “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 Tuesday, the medical examiner’s office identified the five victims. “There are three structures destroyed and at least a dozen more damaged in some way,” authorities said.
The Allegheny County Fire Marshal’s office has confirmed the house that exploded had hot water tank issues. 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. First responders found people trapped under debris, Downs said.
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.
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.
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.
"They were someone you could laugh with and someone that would hug you when you needed support," Campbell said. She said Paul, 56, and Heather, 51, were "very devoted, very family-focused, dependable and kind." Among those killed were a proud father who gave his daughter away at her wedding last month, a super involved hockey mom and dad who never missed a game, and a 12-year-old boy described as a "1,000% momma's boy." The 12-year-old boy was a member of the Plum Mustangs youth football program, and on Wednesday during practice, his No. 40 jersey was placed on the goalpost and his initials covered the 40-yard line. According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the explosion in 2008 was caused after a 2-inch gas line was hit in 2003.
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