Table Of Content
- Filing & Resources
- Firefighters called to 2-alarm fire in Essex house explosion
- New details emerge in Pa. house explosion investigation: DEP
- Press Release
- Plum house explosion: Pennsylvania DEP investigating pinhole-sized leak behind homes
- Safety Investigation Ongoing Following Deadly House Explosion in Plum Borough, Allegheny County

It is our collective responsibility to ensure the emotional well-being of our students and families as we navigate this unimaginable tragedy. Video posted by the department on a social media account showed smoke billing from the debris, with roof gables and siding on the ground. A neighbor said he smelled natural gas earlier Saturday night and called it into the gas company. A house exploded late Saturday night in Essex, filling the neighborhood with smoke. Plum announced Sunday that it would be canceling community events planned for Monday, including the borough council meeting, public hearing and Monday Market, in light of the fatal explosion. Some neighbors were out Sunday morning, and others were returning to their homes.
Filing & Resources
2 killed in Crescent Township house explosion near Pittsburgh - New York Daily News
2 killed in Crescent Township house explosion near Pittsburgh.
Posted: Tue, 12 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
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. 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.
Firefighters called to 2-alarm fire in Essex house explosion
Man who could have info to help in Plum house explosion investigation identified - WPXI Pittsburgh
Man who could have info to help in Plum house explosion investigation identified.
Posted: Mon, 01 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
A man was transported to the hospital with injuries after a fire and an explosion at a house in the suburbs east of Baltimore City, Maryland, a fire official said. Baltimore Gas and Electric, hazardous materials and fire investigation officials responded to the scene. Fire officials said some siding melted on two neighboring homes, but there was no other damage reported. Fire officials said investigators have talked to the homeowners, but no further details were released. Francis said about 100 firefighters responded to the neighborhood to help battle the flames.
New details emerge in Pa. house explosion investigation: DEP

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. Five people died and three others were injured after a house explosion on a suburban street in Pennsylvania on Saturday spread flames to several nearby homes, shattering windows and causing walls to crumble, the 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.
While firefighting and recovery efforts were still active at the scene, investigators from the Safety Division began gathering preliminary information from residents, responders, and utilities around that location. The Fire Marshal’s Office also encouraged homeowners to install combustible gas detectors and reminded residents that if they smell natural gas to not turn on appliances or light switches and exit the home and go to a safe area away from the house. People should call 911 and the gas company from outside the house, not reenter it and wait for first responders to arrive. The cause of the explosion and fire is under investigation, Steve Imbarlina, the assistant chief for Allegheny County emergency services, said.
Press Release
A GoFundMe started for the family says that "they are just beginning to navigate this horrible tragedy." "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."
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Steve Imbarlina, the assistant chief for Allegheny County emergency services, said that two of the injured people had been released from the hospital and a third was in critical condition on Sunday afternoon. The blast destroyed three homes and damaged at least a dozen others, officials said. Upon arriving at the scene, authorities found people trapped under debris and reported that it appeared that one house had exploded while two others were "engulfed in fire," police said.
We stand ready to provide any resources necessary for this community. All day Tuesday, crews with Peoples Gas were out along Rustic Ridge Drive, with a blue tent set up and an excavator, digging in a yard roughly three houses down from the home that exploded. We’re told Peoples Gas drilled holes on either side of the line and they’re testing the line.
PLUM, Pa. (KDKA) — A sixth person died after a house exploded in Plum borough's Rustic Ridge community exploded. The development is on abandoned mine land surrounded by shallow oil and gas wells, some of which have been abandoned. PLUM, Pa. — Six people were killed in the house explosion in Plum on Saturday. Support services will be available to our students, staff, and community members to ensure that anyone who needs assistance can find comfort and guidance. We will open our doors for healing and reflection, where memories can be shared and celebrated.
The injured man was transported to a local hospital with non life-threatening injuries, Lt. Twana Allen said in an email to ABC News. Crews will be on the scene "for an extended period of time," officials said. Even though spring has sprung, it’s always a good time to get into the spirit of spooky season. Time and Space Marketplace is hosting a vendor fair full of autumn vibes from 11 a.m. Art All Night is a free 22-hour-long event full of art, activities, auctions and performances.
"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. 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,” Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said, per the AP.
The district is making its crisis intervention team available on Monday and Tuesday from 10 a.m. “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 video shows Ring doorbell footage of the blast that blew out windows and doors throughout the neighborhood.
The sixth victim, identified as 56-year-old Paul Oravitz, died on Wednesday at UPMC Mercy. Paul Oravitz, 56, died in the hospital Wednesday afternoon following the explosion. Wednesday, Paul Oravitz, 56, died in the hospital from his injuries, Allegheny County officials confirm. 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. 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.
Officials have not yet released the names and ages of those victims. A family member tells Pittsburgh's Action News 4 that two of the victims were father and son, Casey and Keegan Clontz. PLUM BOROUGH, Pa. — New video given to Channel 11 shows the moment a house exploded in Plum Borough. If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.
In 2008, a house exploded along Mardi Gras Drive in Plum, killing a man and seriously injuring a 4-year-old girl. The National Transportation Safety Board investigated and discovered it was caused by a two-inch gas line that was damaged and then failed five years later after it corroded. There are a lot of questions surrounding Saturday’s house explosion, which is the third house explosion in Plum over the last 15 years. Borough Manager Michael Thomas, 57, was also killed in the blast. He lived one home over, but he was next door inside the home that exploded at the time.
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