Table Of Content
- 'Numerous' officers shot in Charlotte, police say
- dead after Pennsylvania house explosion; 2 injured
- ‘Complete devastation’: Man, woman killed in Crescent Township house explosion
- ABC News
- Heather Oravitz, 51
- Sixth person dies from injuries suffered in Pennsylvania house explosion
- Wild video shows explosion that killed woman and decimated Utah home

“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, AP reported. Paul Oravitz, 56, who had severe burns over most of his body, died Wednesday in a Pittsburgh hospital, four days after the explosion in Plum. 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.
'Numerous' officers shot in Charlotte, police say
"Support provided included immediate assistance and caseworker assessment of each families situation and what individual needs they may have." A neighbor, named Michael, said he smelled natural gas earlier Saturday night and called the gas utility company. BALTIMORE -- Baltimore Gas and Electric said a gas leak does not appear to have caused the explosion of a home Saturday night in Essex.
dead after Pennsylvania house explosion; 2 injured
The DEP evaluated the coal seam near Plum, Pa. and noted no nearby shafts or drill/boreholes in the area of the explosion, concluding the chance of the gas issue coming from an abandoned mine is very low. Abandoned mine features are not part of the DEP’s investigation at this time. 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. The homeowners, Heather and Paul Oravitz, were the only members of their family known to be inside at the time of the explosion. Pottstown Fire Chief Frank Hand said the aftermath of the explosion was “devastating.” Two houses were destroyed and more were damaged.
‘Complete devastation’: Man, woman killed in Crescent Township house explosion
A Columbia gas spokesperson says their crews responded and determined the property involved is not served by them. 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.
Three structures have been destroyed and at least a dozen more are damaged, including with windows blown out. 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. Gas and electric service was shut off as a precaution, and officials said on Sunday a plan was in place to begin restoring service with electric power expected to be returned to all but a few residences. He said he checked on his son and then went outside to find a woman covered in white ash.
"When something like this happens, you really see the community come together," Hans said. "I've collected clothes that I'm not wearing anymore or even some things that I've never worn." The Seahorse Inn in Dundalk says it has received a large amount of donations so far. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Baltimore County Fire Department. BGE said it will continue to monitor the site and provide support as needed. The homeowner told WJZ that she and her children were not home when this happened.
Five people, including a child, are dead, after a house exploded in Pennsylvania Saturday morning destroying three structures and damaging several other houses, authorities said. People should call 911 and the gas company from outside the house, not reenter it and wait for first responders to arrive. The explosion in Plum, about 20 miles east of Pittsburgh, was so powerful that it all but leveled the home and started multiple fires at nearby houses.
Wild video shows explosion that killed woman and decimated Utah home
The injured man was transported to a local hospital with non life-threatening injuries, Lt. Twana Allen said in an email to ABC News. Fire crews responded to the two-alarm fire late Saturday, the Baltimore County Fire Department said in a statement on social media. BALTIMORE -- A man was transported to the hospital with injuries after a fire and an explosion at a house in the suburbs east of Baltimore, Maryland, a fire official said. The DEP now requires operators of private natural gas wells to get a permit and submit annual reports.
year-old graduates with master’s degree from University of Pittsburgh
State investigators are now searching for stray gas near the site of a home explosion in Plum, Allegheny County on Saturday, Aug. 12 that killed six people. PLUM, Pa. — Six people were killed in the house explosion in Plum on Saturday. 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. Firefighters say the hero, identified as Oscar Rivera, saved a man and a woman from the burning building while they were standing on the roof. MINERSVILLE, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- A man in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania rescued his neighbors from a house fire. At this time, there are no official fundraisers set up for the family of David and Helen Mitchell. These fundraisers are presented as being for the family of the victims, but they are not connected to the family.
Fifty-seven firefighters were treated for "minor issues" at the scene and released, Steve Imbarlina, assistant chief of fire/emergency medical services at Allegheny County Emergency Service, told reporters Sunday afternoon. Of the three people taken to hospitals, two were released while one remained in critical condition, said Steve Imbarlina, deputy director of fire and emergency services for Allegheny County. One man with burn injuries that were considered non-life threatening was taken to the hospital, but it wasn’t immediately clear if the person had been in the house or outside, fire Lt. Twana Allen said Sunday. Two other nearby homes received moderate damage stemming from the fire, which was extinguished by Sunday morning and still under investigation, Allen said. 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. 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.
Plum Police Chief Lanny Conley said the Allegheny County medical examiner has determined that four adults and one child died from the explosion in the Rustic Ridge Estates neighborhood. Rohan graduated from Towson University in 2020 with a degree in journalism and previously wrote for WDVM-TV in Hagerstown. He maintains WJZ's website and social media, which includes breaking news in everything from politics to sports. Officials say they have heard from several neighbors that there was a foul smell in the area Saturday. BGE told WJZ Monday that crews did not detect gas readings when they canvassed the area. Baltimore County fire officials said they were called to the scene in the Essex community east of Baltimore just after 11 p.m.
Crescent Township community mourns couple killed in home explosion as investigators seek answers - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Crescent Township community mourns couple killed in home explosion as investigators seek answers.
Posted: Mon, 18 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
The Allegheny County Office of the Medical Examiner said Paul Oravitz, 56, died Wednesday at an area hospital, Plum Borough and Allegheny County officials said in a news release. The incident occurred in the borough of Plum, in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. Video captured at the scene showed several homes on fire in the community of Rustic Ridge. During the initial response, 57 firefighters were treated on the scene for "minor issues" and all returned to duty that day, officials said. Two people injured in the incident were transported to local hospitals and have since been released. Paul Oravitz, 56, died earlier Wednesday at a local hospital, Plum Borough officials and the Allegheny County Office of the Medical Examiner said.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. “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. He was a student in the Plum School District and loved to play football. The cause of the explosion remained under investigation, which was expected to take some time, officials said.
County spokesperson Amie Downs said emergency responders reported people trapped under debris after one house apparently exploded and two others were engulfed in flames. Crews from at least 18 fire departments were working to douse the flames with the help of water tankers from Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. 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. Of the three people taken to hospitals, two were released while one remained in critical condition, said the deputy director of fire and emergency services for Allegheny county, Steve Imbarlina. Fifty-seven firefighters were treated at the scene for minor issues.
Video posted by the department on a social media account showed smoke billing from the debris, with roof gables and siding on the ground. The private natural gas well appears to be at the center of the investigation into what caused the blast. 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.