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Officials did not release the victims’ identities, ages or genders, where they were found or where they died. Police noted that the scene remains active and people are advised to stay away from the area unless they live there. Residents who need a place to stay were being directed to Renton Volunteer Fire Department. Downs said officials don't expect to have information about the cause of the explosion "for quite some time." The Allegheny County medical examiner's office will identify them, the Facebook post said.
Plum house explosion: 4 dead, 1 unaccounted for, 3 homes destroyed
The development is on abandoned mine land surrounded by shallow oil and gas wells, some of which have been abandoned. 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. Engineers from the Safety Division are in the field daily, conducting inspections of utility construction, operations, and integrity management activities. They also investigate issues discovered during their inspections, along with incidents reported by utility operators and emergency response agencies.
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Thomas was the borough manager and Oravitz was the community development director. 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. The blast destroyed three homes and damaged at least a dozen others, officials said. Nearly 60 firefighters were treated for minor medical issues. On August 12, 2023, pipeline safety engineers responded to the scene of a reported explosion and house fire at 141 Rustic Ridge Drive in Plum.
h person dies following Pittsburgh area house explosion, cause of blast still unknown
Those include the Monday Market as well as a council meeting and public hearing scheduled for Monday night. As Sunday went on, cars and vehicles full of clothes, food, snacks and more drove to 122 Rustic Ridge Drive to drop off those materials for those whose homes were destroyed. The homeowner, Chris Spudlich, said people can drop stuff off at his home or at 155 Rustic Ridge.
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]
Safety Investigation Ongoing Following Deadly House Explosion in Plum Borough, Allegheny County
His family described him as a football and gymnastics dad through and through. He even was known to challenge his daughter to handstand competitions. But Casey’s greatest love was reserved for wife Jen, Keegan and daughter Addie. “Keegan and Casey were their most happy when they were spending time at the lake with their lake family and friends. They swam, did boating and loved cruising around in their golf cart,” the Clontz family said in a statement to the Trib.
Allegheny County Jail Guard From Plum Facing Charges
Fitzgerald pledged the county’s support and thanked those who came to help from outside Plum and outside the county. Asked whether thoughts of “is my house next” creeps into his mind, he reluctantly agreed. “It just was heart wrenching, heart wrenching,” said Liz Thompson and she and her daughter, Natalie, sat on the porch of their Rustic Ridge home, reflecting on the previous day’s events.
Rustic Ridge homeowners whose houses were damaged by the house explosion could get tax relief
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 sixth victim, identified as 56-year-old Paul Oravitz, died on Wednesday at UPMC Mercy. “It is our collective responsibility to ensure the emotional well-being of our students and families as we navigate this unimaginable tragedy,” Walsh said. “The findings suggest that concentrations of gas detected on Aug. 14 came from (a) single inundation event, likely the explosion itself,” the DEP’s statement said.
dead after Pennsylvania house explosion
In the moments immediately following the explosion, Renko — an officer with the Allegheny County Police homicide unit who was home at the time — was seen running between houses, working with first responders, doing whatever he could. 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 BOROUGH (KDKA) - Allegheny County authorities tell KDKA five people are now dead, with one still unaccounted for, after a house explosion in Plum. 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. Three people were transported to area hospitals, including one who was listed in critical condition and two who were treated and released.
PHOTOS: House explosion in Plum Borough
Gas samples were collected for isotopic analysis from five of those locations, including the area around a leaking gas pipeline, gas in the soil near a Peoples meter and under the foundation of the home. The DEP said inspectors found detectible concentrations of combustible gas throughout the Rustic Ridge area on Aug. 14, but the gas is no longer detectible in soil near the incident. Isotopic samples, which help to identify molecular signatures, were collected Aug. 14 by the DEP and Peoples from soil and a nearby Peoples meter. The home at 141 Rustic Ridge was owned by Paul and Heather Oravitz, and all six victims were inside that home when it exploded. 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.
PLUM, Pa. (KDKA) — A sixth person died after a house exploded in Plum borough's Rustic Ridge community exploded. 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. Company technicians will be going door to door to conduct a safety check and relight customers’ appliances, the spokesperson said. Any determinations and/or actions are based on that information, within the scope of the PUC’s jurisdiction, and any safety concerns identified by investigators are addressed promptly with regulated pipeline operators and/or utilities. While the full investigation by the Safety Division may take up to a year or longer to reach any conclusions, I&E will not hesitate to take immediate action to address health or public safety concerns that are identified.
Any resident who has questions about gas service in the neighborhood can find updates here. Plum Borough Police Chief Lanny Conley said three other people were taken to the hospital to be treated for injuries. Two of those individuals have been released from the hospital while one remains in critical condition.
Officials from the fire marshal’s office to Peoples natural gas to the Public Utility Commission have not divulged details of their investigation. Officials early on said determining a cause of the explosion could take months, if not years. A smaller yet still devastating explosion in 2022 in Plum’s Holiday Park neighborhood remains under investigation by the fire marshal’s office. They watched as emergency and utility crews returned to the scene of a fatal house explosion, searching through debris from three homes destroyed by the blast and subsequent fires. Four people are dead and one is still unaccounted for after a house explosion in Plum, local emergency officials said Saturday night. 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.
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.
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 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.
Thunderstorms that swept through the region Saturday night forced search and rescue crews to stop operations until about 9 a.m. The area was inundated Sunday with emergency crews from Allegheny County, Plum, Peoples Gas, the Allegheny County Fire Marshal’s Office, and a slew of firefighters. The cause of the blast remains under investigation and may not be known for months or years, authorities said Sunday. The Allegheny County Fire Marshal is leading the investigation, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said. They told her they saw the house next to them go up in flames and just ran out of their house, which was destroyed by fire. GoFundMeGoFundMe accounts to aid victims of the Plum explosions have been established, one specifically for the Smith family and the other for all victims.
Crews were expected to resume working at the site on Sunday morning. Jeremy Rogers lives two doors down from the house that exploded. Officials said 20 firefighters were treated at the scene, mostly for heat exhaustion.
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