PLUM (Pennsylvania, US), Aug 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Four people are dead and one is still unaccounted for after a house explosion in Plum, Pennsylvania, local emergency officials said Saturday night.
The names of the people who died have not yet been released. The cause of the blast remains under investigation.
“All activity involving this tragedy has been suspended for the evening due to the weather and the darkness and the safety of those all involved,” Plum police Detective James Little said. The Allegheny County Fire Marshal’s Office will return to the scene Sunday morning.
Three houses were destroyed and at least a dozen more were damaged by the explosion, which was reported at about 10:23 a.m. on Rustic Ridge Drive at Brookside Drive, Allegheny County spokesperson Amie Downs said.
“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. Multiple other homes were damaged with windows blown out,” Downs said in a statement.
Water tankers were at the scene, as many local fire departments continued to respond. Allegheny County Emergency Management officials were also at the scene.
Peoples gas crews were on site, and a spokesman said gas was turned off in the affected area while the utility worked with emergency responders at the scene. Residents who need a place to go are being directed to Renton Volunteer Fire Department at 1996 Old Mine Rd.
“I’ve been to six house explosions in Plum, and this is the worst I’ve seen in 47 years or 48 years, the worst one, just the amount of damage,” said James Sims, chief of the Holiday Park Volunteer Fire Department and emergency management coordinator for Plum.
Neighbor Alexis Typanski said she was sleeping when the blast happened.
“I heard this ‘boom.’ It was so loud that it woke me up. I thought it was thunder from the storms last night. My water bottle fell on me instantaneously. I was shaking. It scared me so bad,” she said. — NNN-AGENCIES
