Fire officials in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, revealed the likely cause behind a massive explosion that destroyed multiple homes and caused five deaths over the weekend.
“The Fire Marshal’s Office can confirm that it is aware that the homeowners at 141 Rustic Ridge Drive were having hot water tank issues,” the Allegheny County Fire Marshal’s Office (ACFM) said in a news release Tuesday. “The tank was located in the basement of the home. ACFM will investigate that information along with any and all other possibilities during their processes that may explain what occurred.”
Fire officials were called to the area Aug. 12 after a massive explosion at 141 Rustic Ridge damaged neighboring homes and set them on fire. The scope of the damage and the fire required the assistance of 18 different fire departments and officials from both Allegheny and Westmoreland counties.
The Allegheny County Office of the Medical Examiner (ACOME) identified the five victims as Heather Oravitz, 51; Borough Manager Michael Thomas, 57; Casey Clontz, 38, Keegan Clontz, 12; and Kevin Sebunia, 55.
Pennsylvania’s Public Utility Commission (PUC) announced that pipeline safety engineers from its Safety Division were investigating the incident. Though the home was having hot water tank issues, investigators are trying to determine whether public utility infrastructure or operations contributed to the explosion and whether there were any violations of state or federal pipeline safety regulations, TribLive reported.
“The Safety Division has been monitoring integrity tests of nearby public utility natural gas service lines by crews from Peoples Gas; conducting detailed interviews with utility employees, first responders and residents; and coordinating the collection of physical jurisdictional evidence at the scene — including natural gas service lines and meters,” the PUC said in a statement.
Following the explosion in Plum, two natural gas leaks were discovered in another neighborhood in the borough, according to a separate report from TribLive. Both leaks have since been repaired.
Four Adults And A Child Have Passed Following A House Explosion In Pennsylvania. Three People From Surrounding Homes Were Rushed To Hospitals, One Of Which Is Currently In Critical Condition. 😳🤯 pic.twitter.com/LYyw5QZDDD
— 🚘BrutalCams🎥 (@BrutalCams) August 15, 2023
Natural gas, Vern
FJB
TRUMP 2024
We support Real America’s Voice for real news !!!
BOYCOTT LIST:
Skittles, Harry’s Razors, CMT, Ben and Jerry’s
Yuengling, Kellogg’s, Cracker Barrel, META-Instagram, Pottery Barn, Marvel, LEGO,
Chick-fil-A, PetSmart,
Kohl’s, Always-P&G
Tractor Supply, Target, Starbucks, Levi Strauss, Miller, Coors-Molson, Smirnoff, Ford, Fox, Nike, Google, Coke, Kraft-Heinz, Maybelline, Disney, ALL>Anheuser Busch products, Directv, & ALL mainstream media.
Not one more cent or one more minute from our household will be spent on these anti-American freaks ! EVER !!
Best Buy,
this was horrible ..i think that sometimes utilitiy companies dont do their job….and the building of newer homes….isnt as accurate…..therefore causing issues and even deaths…..i think we need to have stricter rules…
I installed gas service at my home about 40 years ago. The gas company’s inspector gleefully informed me that no home owner installed service had ever passed, and the ones installed by plumbing companies typically failed three times, before they passed. It was a $75 charge, every time i was tested. He was furious that I passed, on the first try. Then he was going nuts, trying to figure out how I had managed to get a 21′ piece of black iron pipe, down an 8′ stairwell. I smiled and told him, “It’s simple, I’m an Engineer!” Then I showed him how easy it was, to dig a little bit more on the outside of the house, to slip it in at an angle. He was muttering to himself, as he left! 😉
Something similar to this happen close to my cousins house in Murietta, Ca. It was a natural gas leak, in the home. Prayers to the family.
They slammed up Murrieta very fast about 20 years ago.
Hot water heater was probably made in china. Cheap and malfunctioning.