The small town of Plum Borough, Pennsylvania suffered an unthinkable tragedy when a house explosion destroyed three structures and damaged more than a dozen more on Saturday.
The unfortunate incident left five people dead and three injured, two of whom were later released from the hospital while one remained in critical condition.
Emergency responders reported people trapped beneath debris and firefighters from eighteen fire departments worked to douse the flames with water tankers from Allegheny and Westmoreland counties.
House explosion near Pittsburgh, PA, USA that Leveled 3 houses and damaged a dozen more. At least 4 people died, several injured and 3 unaccounted #BOOM #explosion #USA pic.twitter.com/EF6rq1YkYA
— GoldEagleMedia (@GoldEagleMedia1) August 13, 2023
Governor Josh Shapiro expressed his condolences for those affected by the blast and promised that “as you rebuild, we will have your back”.
The cause of the explosion is still being investigated by officials who warned that it would be a long process that could last months or even years.
Michael Huwar, president of Peoples Gas reported that their checks indicated “our system was operating as designed” which means the blast was likely not caused due to any gas leak issues.
As a precaution, electric power has been shut off in most residences except for a few which are expected to have their service restored soon.
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald spoke out about the incident saying “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.”
He asked everyone to give families time to grieve over this devastating tragedy as they await news from further investigation regarding what caused it.
Plum Borough Police Chief Lanny Conley made sure to stress respect towards grieving families asking people “Please give us some time to deal with this situation and give the families your respect and give them some space to deal with this tragedy”.
