Current:Home > Contact-usSixth person dies from injuries suffered in Pennsylvania house explosion-LoTradeCoin
Sixth person dies from injuries suffered in Pennsylvania house explosion
View Date:2024-12-23 20:38:57
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.
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. The town is about 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of Pittsburgh.
The cause of the blast — which destroyed three structures and damaged at least a dozen others — remains under investigation, but officials have said Oravitz and his wife, Heather, were having issues with their hot water tank. The Allegheny County fire marshal’s office is leading the investigation, along with local law enforcement.
The explosion occurred shortly before 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Heather Oravitz, 51, who was Plum’s community development director, was killed in the blast along with Plum Borough Manager Michael Thomas, 57, and three others who lived in the neighborhood: Kevin Sebunia, 55; Casey Clontz, 38; and Clontz’s 12-year-old son, Keegan.
The development is on abandoned mine land surrounded by shallow oil and gas wells, some of which have been abandoned. Two wells that are still producing gas are within about 1000 feet (305 meters) of the home that exploded and a pipeline runs behind the development, but none of those structures have been identified as having been involved in the blast, the newspaper reported.
Michael Huwar, president of Peoples Gas, has said official checks by the company indicated that “our system was operating as designed.”
A company spokesperson said Wednesday that it had completed additional system testing with the Fire Marshal’s office and the state Public Utility Commission, meaning it can now begin restoring gas service. Company technicians will be going door to door to conduct a safety check and relight customers’ appliances, the spokesperson said.
A county spokesperson had said Tuesday that electrical service was restored by Sunday afternoon to all homes other than the three that were destroyed, and gas service had been restored to all homes except the loop where the blast occurred and two spur roads.
veryGood! (3687)
Related
- FBI offers up to $25,000 reward for information about suspect behind Northwest ballot box fires
- Victor Wembanyama's Security Guard Will Not Face Charges After Britney Spears Incident
- Georgia is becoming a hub for electric vehicle production. Just don't mention climate
- Olivia Rodrigo's Celebrity Crush Confession Will Take You Back to the Glory Days
- Worker trapped under rubble after construction accident in Kentucky
- New Documents Unveiled in Congressional Hearings Show Oil Companies Are Slow-Rolling and Overselling Climate Initiatives, Democrats Say
- Da Brat Gives Birth to First Baby With Wife Jesseca Judy Harris-Dupart
- Jonah Hill's Ex Sarah Brady Accuses Actor of Emotional Abuse
- Lady Gaga Joins Wednesday Season 2 With Jenna Ortega, So Prepare to Have a Monster Ball
- This Program is Blazing a Trail for Women in Wildland Firefighting
Ranking
- Two 'incredibly rare' sea serpents seen in Southern California waters months apart
- See the First Photos of Tom Sandoval Filming Vanderpump Rules After Cheating Scandal
- Erdoganomics
- A troubling cold spot in the hot jobs report
- Detroit-area police win appeal over liability in death of woman in custody
- Jenna Dewan and Daughter Everly Enjoy a Crazy Fun Girls Trip
- Erdoganomics
- Peter Thomas Roth Flash Deal: Get $133 Worth of Skincare for Just $43
Recommendation
-
Video shows Starlink satellite that resembled fireball breaking up over the Southwest: Watch
-
A New Plant in Indiana Uses a Process Called ‘Pyrolysis’ to Recycle Plastic Waste. Critics Say It’s Really Just Incineration
-
Erdoganomics
-
When big tech laid off these H-1B workers, a countdown began
-
Mandy Moore Captures the Holiday Vibe With These No Brainer Gifts & Stocking Stuffer Must-Haves
-
Beset by Drought, a West Texas Farmer Loses His Cotton Crop and Fears a Hotter and Drier Future State Water Planners Aren’t Considering
-
How ending affirmative action changed California
-
Amazon must pay over $30 million over claims it invaded privacy with Ring and Alexa