An explosion that rocked a Pennsylvania neighborhood over the weekend, resulting in five fatalities and extensive property damage, has been linked to "hot water tank issues" at the epicenter of the blast, as reported by the Allegheny County Fire Marshals Office.
The explosion occurred on Saturday morning in the Plum borough, located on the outskirts of Pittsburgh. The Fire Marshals Office issued a statement on Monday night cautioning the public to steer clear of the area as investigations into the cause of the explosion were underway.
The statement read: "The Fire Marshals Office can confirm that it is aware that the homeowners at 141 Rustic Ridge Drive were having hot water tank issues. The tank was located in the basement of the home." The office further stated that it would "investigate that information along with any and all other possibilities during their processes that may explain what occurred."
The explosion claimed the lives of five individuals, including Plum's community development director, Heather Oravitz, 51, and the borough manager, Michael Thomas, 57. The other victims were neighborhood residents Kevin Sebunia, 55, Casey Clontz, 38, and Clontz's 12-year-old son, Keegan.
Plum Mayor Harry Schlegel revealed that Paul Oravitz, Heather's husband, had suffered severe burns over most of his body and was in critical condition in the hospital as of Tuesday. Two other individuals injured in the blast received treatment at a hospital and were subsequently released.
The Allegheny County Government, in a post on its Facebook page on Monday, stated that "a total of three structures were destroyed and at least a dozen more damaged in some way." The post further detailed that the county's 9-1-1 service received multiple calls from the Rustic Ridge Drive and Brookside Drive area in Plum Borough around 10:22 AM on Saturday, reporting a house explosion, several houses on fire and damaged, and potential victims trapped in the affected homes.
The post continued: "First responders from the police and fire department arrived on scene and reported that there were people trapped under debris and that it appeared as if one house had exploded, and two others were engulfed in fire." Responding units included water tankers from both Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, 18 different fire departments, and the county's Emergency Management and Fire Marshals.
Rafal Kolankowski, a resident of the neighborhood, recounted to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette how the explosion shattered the windows of his house and knocked him and his wife to the ground. "Its just tragic, I mean, it looks like a war zone it looks like a bomb hit our neighborhood, and its just unfortunate," Kolankowski lamented. "I was just with some of the neighbors yesterday and now this happens."
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