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"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.
House Explosion Under Investigation
Abandoned mine features are not part of the DEP’s investigation at this time. “From the moment DEP was called in to investigate, our experts have worked tirelessly alongside county officials and partner agencies to aid in identifying the cause,” said DEP Secretary Rich Negrin. Negrin says members of his department will be in Plum for the duration of the investigation and it may start to get a clearer picture of what happened soon.
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First responders said there were people trapped under debris, two houses on fire, multiple houses damaged and it appeared “as if one house had exploded,” authorities said. 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 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. Plum police, county law enforcement and the county fire marshal’s office are investigating the cause of the explosion, AP reported.
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The Allegheny County Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating multiple possibilities, including the homeowners having “hot water tank issues,” Plum Borough and Allegheny County officials said in a news release. The Allegheny County medical examiner's office will identify them, the Facebook post said. Three people were transported to area hospitals, including one who was listed in critical condition and two who were treated and released.
h victim dies in Pennsylvania house explosion: Officials
Hubner said the side of the house facing the explosion, which took most of the concussion, will need to be stripped to look for framing damage. The houses on either side — the Thomas house closer to Zarroli and the home of Harrison and Kelly Smith on the other side — also were destroyed. Some of those friends were lost when the home of Paul and Heather Oravitz, diagonally across the street at 141 Rustic Ridge, blew up on the morning of Aug. 12.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Rustic Ridge neighborhood sits on top of abandoned mine land and is surrounded by shallow oil and gas wells. There is also a pipeline that runs behind the housing development, but none of these have been identified as the cause of the blast. The Allegheny County District Attorney told Channel 11 News on Thursday that officials currently consider the deadly explosion in Plum Borough to be accidental. My son was just there a couple of days before playing with Keegan so it’s heartbreaking,” said Brock Harrison, Carl’s Tavern manager.
New details emerge in Pa. house explosion investigation: DEP
Both were rushed to the hospital, but they’re now physically okay. 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. 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.
Video shows moment of house explosion in Plum Borough that killed 5, including child - WJAC Johnstown
Video shows moment of house explosion in Plum Borough that killed 5, including child.
Posted: Mon, 14 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
The sixth victim, identified as 56-year-old Paul Oravitz, died on Wednesday at UPMC Mercy. Emergency medical workers treated 57 firefighters for minor issues while they responded to the explosion and fire, Chief Imbarlina said. “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. 11 News reached out to Peoples Gas Company to address the community’s concerns. They said they are providing their resources to help the Allegheny County fire marshal in this investigation, including additional tests of their system.
He never lived a day without joy and his family was always his priority. One died in at the hospital after being transported in critical condition. Two people who were taken to the hospital in stable condition have since been released. State officials had previously ruled out natural gas from an abandoned underground mine as a cause.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A spokesperson for Peoples Gas said on Wednesday crews will start restoring service, which was shut off to about 50 homes after the explosion. Heavy equipment went through the destroyed houses before the rain moved in. Crews with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Allegheny County offices, and utility crews investigated. Three nearby homes were destroyed and a dozen other homes were damaged in the blast on Saturday. PLUM, Pa. (KDKA) — A sixth person died after a house exploded in Plum borough's Rustic Ridge community exploded.
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