1 dead, others hospitalized and unaccounted for after explosion in Plum, Pa. destroys multiple homes
An explosion in Plum Borough, Pa. Saturday morning killed one person, sent at least two more to the hospital, and left multiple homes on fire as police searched for three others who were still unaccounted for by late afternoon.
The incident occurred around 10:30 a.m., when a house exploded on Rustic Ridge Drive and Brookside Drive in Plum Borough, a suburb of Pittsburgh, local ABC affiliate WTAE reports. The explosion left three homes destroyed and at least 12 others damaged, officials said.
Plum Mayor Harry Schlegel stated that the house that exploded belonged to borough manager Mike Thomas, whose status is currently unknown.
Thomas’ wife and daughter were taken to the hospital, and another man in a neighboring home was flown to the hospital’s burn unit, according to the mayor. One person was confirmed dead around 4 p.m., though their identity has not been revealed. The condition of the others remains unknown at this time.
“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,” said county spokesperson Amie Downs.
More than 30 fire units and multiple gas company vehicles responded to the scene and worked to secure the surrounding gas lines while authorities continued to comb through the rubble for survivors.
The cause of the explosion is still under investigation.
“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, the chief of a local volunteer fire department and emergency management coordinator for Plum.
