PA - Explosion and Fires Level Three (3) Homes, 5 dead, Allegheny County, 12 Aug 2023

[steeltowngirl]

Just heard about this on KDKA.

2 gas leaks found in different Plum neighborhood days after deadly house explosion

The neighborhoods are about a 10-minute drive apart.

www.cbsnews.com

For reference for those not familiar with the area:

Regency Park to Brookside Drive & Rustic Ridge Drive

goo.gl

The two areas are five miles apart, so they seem unrelated. The safety investigation may have triggered a wider look and testing in the overall area, which is certainly warranted. Local residents must be very uneasy.

From the article:

Safety investigation ongoing

On Tuesday, the state Public Utility Commission announced that pipeline safety engineers from its Safety Division, part of the commission’s independent Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement, were investigating the incident. They are exploring whether public utility infrastructure or operations contributed to the explosion and if there were any violations of state or federal pipeline safety regulations.

The commission said pipeline safety engineers responded on Saturday and began gathering preliminary information from residents, first responders and utilities in the area.

Safety engineers are working with other state and local agencies that also responded. The Safety Division is in close communication with the fire marshal, state Department of Environmental Protection, the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and Peoples Gas.

“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.

Hot water tank a focus of investigation into Plum house explosion; victims' remains released to families

The Allegheny County Fire Marshal’s Office confirmed it is investigating the possibility that complications with a hot water tank contributed to a house explosion in Plum over the weekend. That was the first public confirmation from officials about a possible origin of the blast Saturday morning...

triblive.com

 

[CCJD]

The two areas are five miles apart, so they seem unrelated. The safety investigation may have triggered a wider look and testing in the overall area, which is certainly warranted. Local residents must be very uneasy.

RSBM

Penn Hills not Plum but let's not forget this one from 2019, 5-6 miles from Regency Park:

4 firefighters injured in explosion during fire at Penn Hills plaza

Firefighters remained at the scene of a fire at a shopping plaza on Frankstown Road in Penn Hills on Monday morning. The fire that started around 7:30 p.m. Sunday at the Churchill Center Plaza was continuing to reignite before dawn Monday; Frankstown Road was closed in the area of Coal

triblive.com

 

[steeltowngirl]

6th victim dies from Plum house explosion

Saturday’s house explosion in Plum has claimed a sixth life. Paul Oravitz, 56, died Wednesday afternoon at UPMC Mercy in Pittsburgh, according to Mike Doyle, president of Plum Council. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner later announced that Paul Oravitz had died. Oravitz’s wife, Heather, 51...

triblive.com

 

[steeltowngirl]

10 houses near site of Plum explosion being examined for structural integrity

Ten homes near a massive explosion that leveled three other houses in Plum last Saturday and killed six people will have to be examined by building experts to determine whether people can live in them again. Allegheny County released a statement Saturday that included for the first time the exact

triblive.com

Pa. Department of Environmental Protection to investigate Plum house explosion

Gov. Josh Shapiro has directed the DEP to launch an investigation into the deadly house explosion in Plum.

www.wtae.com

A week after fatal house explosion, Plum community seeks the will to push forward

The idyllic innocence of Rustic Ridge shattered a week ago. Tragedy struck this close-knit community in Plum, a neighborhood of more than 200 homes, about 10:23 a.m. last Saturday. An explosion leveled a home on Rustic Ridge Drive and resulted in an inferno that destroyed two neighboring homes...

triblive.com

 

[CCJD]

PLUM, Pa. — The Chessey’s yard on Fieldstone Court in Rustic Ridge is ripped up. There is now an entire trench dug where a new gas line will be replaced. They live a few streets from where the deadly house explosion happened last Saturday. After the explosion, they took it upon themselves to have a technician come out and check for gas leaks. Sure enough, they had a crack in their line.

Crack found in gas line on property near Plum house explosion

After the explosion, a family took it upon themselves to have a technician come out and check for gas leaks. Sure enough, they had a crack in their line.

www.wpxi.com

 

[Richrd]

.

Investigation Indicating an Explosion Within One Home

Investigators pinpoint house as source of Pa. explosion that killed 6

The Allegheny County fire marshal’s office said all potential outside factors were eliminated, including wells, pipelines and other utilities.

www.lehighvalleylive.com

Google Maps​

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

Dwelling Explosion - Plum Borough, PA - Google Search

.

 

[LadyL]

This is my hometown. For whatever reason I don't remember the 1996 explosion at all which is strange as I was in jr. high. The 2008 one I remember very well. It shook my house and I could see the smoke from my front door. I moved (unrelated) probably the next month and the 2022 explosion is actually closer to where I live now. I think I remember hearing the sirens that night but not the blast.

It's a 50/50 shot if the story will ever come out. The 2008 one did, probably because of the miracle survival of the little girl. The 2022 one didn't, to the best of my knowledge.

I'm curious as to the cause of the 2008 one?

 

[steeltowngirl]

I'm curious as to the cause of the 2008 one?

In 2008 an explosion on Mardi Gras Drive killed 64-year-old Richard Leith and injured his 4-year-old granddaughter Gianna Pettinato. The National Transportation Safety Board at the time found that corrosion of an underground 2-inch gas line led to a leak that caused the blast.

An excavator nicked the line in 2003, tearing off some of its protective coating, causing corrosion to spread faster.

What to know about the Plum house explosion that killed 5

Days after a house explosion shocked the Plum community, residents are looking for a way forward as they grapple with the death of five neighbors, including...

www.post-gazette.com