A house exploded in Plum Borough, a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, August 12, killing five people and injuring others. Four of the victims were adults and one was a child.
The cause of the explosion is under investigation. NPR reported that three people were taken to the hospital and one of them remains in critical condition. Additionally, 57 firefighters had minor injuries that were treated at the scene.
Safety checks were done, and gas and electric services were shut off.
At this time, the cause of the explosion is unknown. As a safety precaution, gas and electric services were shut down. Michael Huwar, president of Peoples Gas, said the company checked the area for signs of leakage and it appears that the system was operating properly.
The explosion happened on Saturday morning.
WTAE reported that the explosion happened at approximately 10:23 a.m. on Saturday morning. Three homes were destroyed and dozens of others were damaged, according to the news station.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro released a statement on Twitter on Sunday, August 13, writing, "Lori and I are praying for family, friends, and neighbors who lost someone in Plum yesterday, and we're grateful for the first responders who ran towards danger to save lives. The five Pennsylvanians who passed and their families are in our thoughts today. May their memories be a blessing."
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The victims' names have not been released.
Officials have not yet released the names of the people who died in the explosion, but relatives of two of the victims have spoken up and identified two of the victims as Casey Clontz, 38, and his 12-year-old son, Keegan. They reportedly lived near the house that exploded. It's not clear why they were visiting the house, though Casey was friends with his neighbors, according to relatives.
The investigation might take some time.
Steve Imbarlina, deputy director of fire and emergency services for Allegheny County, said the investigation could take a long time.
He said it would be a "slow and long process" and it could take "months if not years."
People in the area reacted.
One resident told CBS that "it was very scary." Another resident spoke to WTAE about how this is not the first home explosion that has happened in the area.
“We need to know why this is happening. It’s sad that people lost their lives and we don’t have answers. We need answers for these families, we need answers for this community," the resident, Justin Newman, said.
A home exploded in the area last year.
One of the other home explosions in the area occurred fairly recently, in April 2022. The cause of that explosion also remains unknown. Matt Brown, chief of the Allegheny County Department of Emergency Services, said the investigation has been a long process because it requires forensic testing and follow-up interviews. A couple and their sons lived in that house that exploded and survived, according to Plum Advance Leader, a local news outlet.
Another home exploded in 2008.
Another house explosion happened in the same area in 2008. That explosion killed Richard Leith, 64, and injured his granddaughter, who was 4 years old at the time. Two other houses were destroyed as a result, while 11 others were damaged, according to Plum Advance Leader.
According to the news outlet, that explosion was caused by damage to a 2-inch natural gas distribution pipeline. The pipeline was hit when a sewer line was replaced in 2003, which damaged the pipeline's protective coating and increased the risk of failure, a National Transportation Safety Board investigation found.
It may be the worst house explosion the area has seen.
James Sims, chief of the Holiday Park Volunteer Fire Department, said he has seen six house explosions in Plum, but this weekend's was the worst one he has ever seen.
“I’ve been to six house explosions in Plum, and this is the worst I’ve seen in 47 years or 48 years, the worst one, just the amount of damage,” he said.
The house was on old mine land.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the housing development where the explosion took place is on former mine land. There are also oil and gas wells around it, and the publication reported that two gas wells that are still producing are close to the home that exploded. Behind the housing area, there is also a pipeline. However, the cause of the explosion has not been determined.
