Current:Home > Invest5 people, including a child, are dead after an explosion destroys 3 homes and damages 12 others -GlobalInvest
5 people, including a child, are dead after an explosion destroys 3 homes and damages 12 others
View
Date:2025-04-16 17:15:34
PLUM, Pa. (AP) — Five people were found dead after a house explosion in western Pennsylvania that destroyed three structures and damaged at least a dozen others, authorities said Sunday.
Plum Borough Police Chief Lanny Conley said the bodies of four adults and one adolescent were recovered after the blast shortly before 10:30 a.m. Saturday in the borough, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of Pittsburgh.
“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,” said Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald.
Of the three people taken to hospitals, two were released while one remained in critical condition, said Steve Imbarlina, deputy director of fire and emergency services for Allegheny County. Fifty-seven firefighters were treated at the scene for minor issues.
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office is expected to provide additional information about the deceased victims.
“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,” Conley said.
Emergency responders reported people trapped under debris after the blast leveled one house and left two others engulfed in flames, county spokesperson Amie Downs said. Crews from at least 18 fire departments worked to douse the flames with the help of water tankers from Allegheny and Westmoreland counties.
The cause of the explosion is under investigation by the county fire marshal’s office along with borough and county law enforcement. Imbarlina warned that the investigation would be a “slow and long process” that would include a lot of forensic testing and could last “months if not years.”
Michael Huwar, president of Peoples Gas, said the company’s checks for gas leaks underground and in the air as well as the consistent pressure verified at regulation stations indicates that “our system was operating as designed.”
Gas and electric service was shut off as a precaution, and officials said Sunday a plan was in place to begin restoring service with electric power expected to be returned to all but a few residences, officials said.
Gov. Josh Shapiro said he and the first lady were “praying for the families” affected and promised them that “as you rebuild, we will have your back.”
veryGood! (9)
Related
- Hackers hit Rhode Island benefits system in major cyberattack. Personal data could be released soon
- WK Kellogg to close Omaha plant, downsize in Memphis as it shifts production to newer facilities
- Maryland’s Moore joins former US Sen. Elizabeth Dole to help veterans
- After dark days on stock markets, see where economy stands now
- 'Squid Game' without subtitles? Duolingo, Netflix encourage fans to learn Korean
- USWNT coach Emma Hayes calls Naomi Girma the 'best defender I've ever seen — ever'
- Taylor Swift leads VMA nominations (again) but there are 29 first-timers too: See the list
- No drinking and only Christian music during Sunday Gospel Hour at Nashville’s most iconic honky tonk
- The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test
- Brandon Aiyuk trade options: Are Steelers or another team best landing spot for 49ers WR?
Ranking
- The White House is cracking down on overdraft fees
- Pitbull Stadium: 'Mr. Worldwide' buys naming rights for FIU football stadium
- NYC journalist who documented pro-Palestinian vandalism arrested on felony hate crime charges
- Exclusive: Oklahoma death row inmate Emmanuel Littlejohn wants forgiveness, mercy
- Appeals court scraps Nasdaq boardroom diversity rules in latest DEI setback
- Billy Bean, MLB executive and longtime LGBTQ advocate, dies at 60
- Flush with federal funds, dam removal advocates seize opportunity to open up rivers, restore habitat
- Panicked about plunging stock market? You can beat Wall Street by playing their own game.
Recommendation
Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
Can chief heat officers protect the US from extreme heat?
Judge rejects bid by Judicial Watch, Daily Caller to reopen fight over access to Biden Senate papers
Federal indictment accuses 15 people of trafficking drugs from Mexico and distributing in Minnesota
SFO's new sensory room helps neurodivergent travelers fight flying jitters
Indiana’s completion of a 16-year highway extension project is a ‘historic milestone,’ governor says
Texas man whose lawyers say is intellectually disabled facing execution for 1997 killing of jogger
Ancient 'hobbits' were even smaller than previously thought, scientists say