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

Aug. 20—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. The shock wave of the blast damaged a dozen others — some beyond repair.

The toll is immense.

Six people died: Paul and Heather Oravitz, husband and wife who lived at 141 Rustic Ridge; Casey and Keegan Clontz, father and son who lived around the corner on Brookside Drive; Michael Thomas, who lived at 139 Rustic Ridge; and Kevin Sebunia, who lived at 135 Rustic Ridge.

At least two other residents were injured, as were almost 60 firefighters who battled the quickly moving blaze from the explosion site at 141 Rustic Ridge to the fires that engulfed the Thomas home and one at 143 Rustic Ridge, owned by Harrison and Kelly Smith.

This quiet community will never be the same.

Every resident the Tribune-Review spoke with over the past seven days acknowledged as much.

It could take years before Rustic Ridge recovers — if it ever really does.

Yet, amid the heartbreak, there remains a resilience.

Rallying together

A week ago, Greg Renko ran down his street toward a leveled home and, with the help of neighbor George Emanuele, pulled Paul Oravitz from a pile of rubble to safety.

In the moments immediately following the explosion, Renko — an officer with the Allegheny County Police homicide unit who was home at the time — was seen running between houses, working with first responders, doing whatever he could.

He hasn't stopped since.

Renko is the president of the Rustic Ridge homeowners association. He and the rest of the board — as well as a number of neighbors who live in the immediate vicinity and just outside of it within the subdivision — have taken the lead in trying to pull the community forward.

Their determination is relentless.

Renko called it a "humbling responsibility."

"I think we will rally together, rally around the families directly involved," he said this week. "I'm constantly proud to say I'm from Rustic Ridge, but also Plum."

Rally they have, as difficult as it has been.

The Plum community at large has wrapped its arms around Rustic Ridge, but so too have surrounding communities and businesses.

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Click here for complete coverage of the Plum explosion

Related stories:

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

—'Prayers for Rustic Ridge' yard signs uniting, benefiting Plum community

—State inspectors capture gas samples at Plum explosion site, await test results

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The Allegheny County Police partnered with Party Savvy to erect a large tent at Ridgetop Park at the end of Ridgetop Drive. The tent, tables and seats for 100 people will stay until the people of Rustic Ridge say they no longer need them.

Car dealer #1 Cochran has covered the cost of various food trucks and restaurants that have provided meals, including but not limited to Mission BBQ, Olive Garden, Big Lou's, Elegant Catering and Let's Taco.

In surrounding subdivisions, kids raised money through lemonade stands.

In The Highlands, about 20 kids sold lemonade and baked goods — and raised almost $1,200 that they gave to the Rustic Ridge HOA. In Holiday Park, Ava Gribbin sold lemonade and iced tea outside her home and made $745 in four hours. She gave all proceeds to Angels in DaSkys, a Plum-based nonprofit that helps families in need.

Renton Volunteer Fire Department served as the staging area for collecting relief items. Mountains of bottled water, food and snacks piled up at the fire department in the days after the explosion.

Plum Borough School District, the University of Pittsburgh MAPS program, Alliance of Therapy Dogs and others have offered services or assistance to those who are emotionally impacted by the tragedy.

The Plum Mustang Foundation, a nonprofit serving students in the borough, is selling T-shirts and rubber bracelets with Prayers for Rustic Ridge or simply Rustic Ridge imprinted on them. Proceeds benefit Rustic Ridge families.

Residents across the borough have placed yard signs that read "Prayers for Rustic Ridge" outside their homes.

And a golf outing at Willowbrook Country Club organized by the high school boys and girls programs sold out in days.

At a prayer vigil Tuesday night at Ridgetop Park, more than 100 residents gathered, observed a moment of silence and held cellphones high — with flashlights on — to raise up one light.

That light symbolized a community united — in grief and fear but also in determination to support one another in finding a light forward in the darkness around them.

The victims

This little corner of Rustic Ridge was known, at least by some neighbors, as Fraternity Row, because these families spent so much time together.

The Oravitzes moved from another part of Rustic Ridge to build at this far end of the plan. As former neighbor Lindsay Sciullo said, "This was going to be their retirement home."

Those who lost their lives were beloved members of the neighborhood but also the community.

They wore many titles: Public official. Coach. Dad. Mom. Son. Friend.

----Paul Oravitz

Paul Oravitz was well known in the Plum youth soccer community and was a proud sports dad, friends said.

He and his wife, Heather, had two children: daughter Taylor, 23, and son Cole, 21. Both played soccer as kids, and Cole grew into a notable youth hockey player.

Melissa Campbell of Cranberry got to know the Oravitz family through their sons: Cole and her son, Aidan, played with the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite triple-A hockey organization.

"We spent so many weekends on the road together," Campbell told the Trib. "When your children play high-level sports, you travel. There were some months we were on the road three weekends out of four, and holidays together."

Oravitz was a big part of Plum Area Youth Soccer, said Fred Lucas, president of the organization since 1995. Lucas had known him for 15 years, and they were good friends.

"Paul's the kind of guy everyone would want as a best friend," he said.

----Heather Oravitz

Those in Plum might have encountered Heather as the director of community development for the borough.

But she was best known as a loving mom and wife. She was an avid Pittsburgh sports fan and a pickleball enthusiast. She held a particular penchant for keeping a well-manicured lawn.

Heather was her husband's biggest supporter, even in the soccer organization after their kids' playing days were over, Lucas said.

"It takes a special wife — a lot of wives would say, 'OK, you did your deal. Your kids are out of it. It's time for you to do something else.' She said, 'This is what he loves; as long as he's happy doing it and it's for the kids, whatever I can do to help support it,' " Lucas said.

Said Fran Sciullo, who lived next door to the Oravitzes for about a decade: "Heather was dedicated to her family, generous and kind — the type of neighbor everyone would be fortunate to have."

----Michael Thomas

Thomas served as the borough manager for about 18 years (since 2005) and, according to Councilman Mike Doyle, "was everybody's go-to guy."

"He wasn't just my borough manager, he was my friend," Doyle said. "I would put him up against any borough manager in the state as far as knowledge and as far as integrity."

Plum's new municipal center, which the borough used to help Rustic Ridge residents after Saturday's tragedy, was Thomas' baby, Doyle said.

"Mike moved into this borough for this job. When he got here, this was his home and he made it better," Doyle said. "Our community days has grown and grown and grown because of Mike and the staff, but it was through his leadership. This past Summerfest was the largest we've ever had."

But Thomas was so much more. He was a father to daughter Hannah, 16, and husband to wife, Jackie. He was a central figure in Rustic Ridge.

Rafal Kolankowski, who lived a couple of houses away, might have summed it up best.

"Mike was a cool dude," Kolankowski said. "If you needed something, he was there."

----Kevin Sebunia

It seems like everyone in that nook of Rustic Ridge has a Kevin Sebunia story. That's how well-liked he was.

But above all, he was a dedicated family man — a devoted father and husband who willingly gave his time to others.

His wife, Kelly, and daughters, Emily and Abigail, were the most important people in Sebunia's life, longtime friend Joe Pulcini said.

"His family came before anything," Pulcini said. "His two girls came before everything."

Still, Sebunia found time to help. He was a helper. It was just his nature, friends said.

He was known as "Mr. Home Depot."

"From someone putting a deck up to something as simple as changing a light bulb, if you needed help, he was there," said Pulcini, 56. "He had a heart of gold."

----Casey Clontz

Clontz might be best remembered for his ability to make others laugh and his knack for lovingly giving those closest to him a hard time.

He enjoyed the outdoors and cherished time fishing and hunting with his son, Keegan, his family said.

"Keegan and Casey were their most happy when they were spending time at the lake with their lake family and friends. They swam, did boating and loved cruising around in their golf cart," the Clontz family said in a statement to the Trib.

Casey loved the Steelers — a devoted member of Steeler Nation — and he proudly wore his allegiance in the form of a tattoo on his leg. The family's basement is filled with Pittsburgh sports memorabilia.

But Casey's greatest love was reserved for wife Jen, Keegan and daughter Addie.

His family described him as a football and gymnastics dad through and through. He even was known to challenge his daughter to handstand competitions.

----Keegan Clontz

It's no surprise that Keegan was with his father last Saturday morning. His family described him as Casey's shadow — always alongside his father.

But he also was "1,000% his mama's boy," his family said. He loved his sister, but especially when he was able to give her a hard time as only a brother can do.

Keegan's attributes were many — kind, caring, strong and brave — but his hugs were legendary. He simply gave really good hugs, his family said.

He enjoyed playing football, hunting, fishing and riding his minibike. He adored his friends and was described by his family as the perfect teammate.

He would have been 13 in January.

The investigation

Neighbors said the Oravitzes were having issues with their hot water tank — something the Allegheny County Fire Marshal's Office said it was aware of — and that Thomas, Sebunia and Clontz went over to help troubleshoot.

That was just what the neighbors did.

Rafal Kolankowski said that when he and his brother were building concrete steps at his house on Brookside Drive, across the street from Sebunia's corner lot at Rustic Ridge and Brookside, Sebunia joined in without prompting.

Officials from the fire marshal's office to Peoples natural gas to the Public Utility Commission have not divulged details of their investigation. Officials early on said determining a cause of the explosion could take months, if not years. A smaller yet still devastating explosion in 2022 in Plum's Holiday Park neighborhood remains under investigation by the fire marshal's office.

County officials told the Trib they do not believe there is a central source, cause or origin in those two explosions or three others dating to the mid-1990s.

Gov. Josh Shapiro announced Thursday he was ordering the state Department of Environmental Protection to open its own investigation into the Rustic Ridge explosion. Plum is home to several gas wells, a natural gas pipeline, abandoned mines and a long-burning underground mine fire.

----At about 10:23 a.m. Saturday, Rustic Ridge remembered.

It was the first historical marker of inevitable ones ahead.

One month. One year. Five years. It just goes on.

But, as the Rustic Ridge community has shown over the past seven days, so will it.

Rob Amen is a Tribune-Review managing editor. You can contact Rob by email at ramen@triblive.com or via Twitter .