Home explosion rattles neighborhood in Essex CBS Baltimore

Table Of Content

• Watch Biden's full remarks at the 2024 White House Correspondents’ dinner
• MORE: Baltimore-area nail salon explosion that injured cops, EMTs was deliberately set: Police
• Police officer hiring in US increases in 2023 after …
• dead after Pennsylvania house explosion; 2 injured
• House fire, explosion injures 1 in Maryland, fire department says
• 'A family I never knew I had': Survivors share their stories at vigil

“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. Two people also remained missing after the Pottstown blast that sparked a heavy two-alarm fire, obliterated one home and left surrounding houses decimated, photos showed. That house and two others were so badly damaged they must be demolished, and 10 others were not safe for residents in the weeks after the Aug. 12 blast about 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of Pittsburgh. "Instantly, a column of white smoke up in the air followed by a thick column of black smoke. [It] was a very significant explosion. You could feel it in your chest. You could definitely feel the explosion."

Watch Biden's full remarks at the 2024 White House Correspondents’ dinner

Emergency medical workers treated 57 firefighters for minor issues while they responded to the explosion and fire, Chief Imbarlina said. Lanny Conley, the chief of the Plum Borough Police Department, said at a news conference Sunday afternoon that four adults and one adolescent had died and been recovered from the scene. “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,” Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said, AP reported. Three people were taken to area hospitals, including one who was in critical condition and two who were treated and released. “We thought that either an earthquake was happening or that someone crashed into the building,” Kaite Washabaugh, who lives down the street, told the Fox affiliate.

MORE: Baltimore-area nail salon explosion that injured cops, EMTs was deliberately set: Police

Pottstown Fire Chief Frank Hand said the tank was located at the home where the explosion took place, but he added that he didn't know what the tank had been used for prior to the blast. "I just saw smoke and I thought the whole back of the house was gone and I just ran for the kids and ran out the door," Miller said. Ashley Miller, another neighbor, told NBC10 she was sitting on her bed when the back window of the room blew out. Those killed in the blast have been identified as Francine White, 67, Alana Wood, 13, Jeremiah White, 12, Nehemiah White, 10, and Tristan White, 8. Pennsylvania’s governor, Josh Shapiro, said he and his wife were “praying for the families” affected and promised them that “as you rebuild, we will have your back”. Gas and electric service was shut off as a precaution, and officials said on Sunday a plan was in place to begin restoring service with electric power expected to be returned to all but a few residences.

Police officer hiring in US increases in 2023 after …

Plum and county law enforcement, as well as the county fire marshal's office, are investigating, and the state public utilities commission and local utilities were also at the scene. Officials said the investigation will be a "slow and long process" that could last for months or years. The sixth victim, Paul Oravitz, 56, died at a hospital Wednesday morning, county officials said.

dead after Pennsylvania house explosion; 2 injured

The DEP evaluated the coal seam near Plum, Pa. and noted no nearby shafts or drill/boreholes in the area of the explosion, concluding the chance of the gas issue coming from an abandoned mine is very low. Abandoned mine features are not part of the DEP’s investigation at this time. Two firefighters stand on the debris around the smoldering wreckage of the the three houses that exploded near Rustic Ridge Drive and Brookside Drive in Plum, Pa., on Saturday. Five adults and one child died as a result of the explosion, Plum Borough Police Chief Lanny Conley confirmed to reporters.

ESSEX, Md. (AP) — An explosion razed a home in suburban Baltimore, officials said, sending one person to the hospital for injuries and requiring aid from dozens of firefighters to douse the flames. One man with burn injuries that were considered non-life threatening was taken to the hospital, but it wasn’t immediately clear if the person had been in the house or outside, fire Lt. Twana Allen said Sunday. Two other nearby homes received moderate damage stemming from the fire, which was extinguished by Sunday morning and still under investigation, Allen said. ESSEX, Md. — An explosion razed a home in suburban Baltimore, officials said, sending one person to the hospital for injuries and requiring aid from dozens of firefighters to douse the flames. Meanwhile, 57 firefighters were treated at the scene for minor issues, including heat-related injuries, WTAE reported, citing Steve Imbarlina, assistant chief of Allegheny County Emergency Services.

House fire, explosion injures 1 in Maryland, fire department says

Peoples Natural Gas said Saturday night on its website that it shut off gas service to about 50 homes in the area as a precaution. He said that gas and electrical services were shut off to most of the area Saturday "out of an abundance of caution" and that officials planned to work to restore some of the services. “There are three structures destroyed and at least a dozen more damaged in some way,” authorities said. “The tank was located in the basement of the home,” county officials said. A gas explosion was believed to be the cause of the disaster, which occurred after 8 p.m., officials told KWY-TV.

Firefighter injured while battling house fire in Kensington

Baltimore County fire officials said they were called to the scene in the Essex community east of Baltimore just after 11 p.m. A neighbor said he smelled natural gas earlier Saturday night and called it into the gas company. He said the military immediately closed the road to the base and “villagers were in a panic, seeking a safe place.” He then moved his family to his parent’s home, farther away from the base. When he returned to his own house hours later, he found it undamaged but other villagers’ houses had broken windows, doors and roofs, he said. PLUM, Pa. — The co-owner of a home that exploded in western Pennsylvania last weekend has died from injuries he suffered in the blast, which also killed his wife and four other people.

Video 2 found dead in Pennsylvania house explosion - ABC News

Video 2 found dead in Pennsylvania house explosion.

Posted: Tue, 12 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Two people were hospitalized, Keller said, with one in critical condition and another undergoing surgery. In March 2005, a nighttime blast at an arms depot in the northwestern provincial town of Battambang triggered an hourslong spray of shells and bullets, killing at least six people and panicking local residents. Officials say 19 people lost their homes to the fire, but no one was seriously injured. Firefighters say the hero, identified as Oscar Rivera, saved a man and a woman from the burning building while they were standing on the roof.

Pottstown is a borough of around 23,400 around 30 miles northwest of Philadelphia. “Keegan and Casey will be missed by so many and will continue to be loved by so many, including their family, friends and community,” the family said in a statement to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. 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.

PLUM, Pa. (AP) — The co-owner of a home that exploded in western Pennsylvania last weekend has died from injuries he suffered in the blast, which also killed his wife and four other people. The cause of the explosion remains under investigation, the office said, and there is no time frame for when the probe will be completed. The investigation at the scene of the explosion has been completed and the property is being returned to its owners, the agency said in a release. NBC affiliate WPXI of Pittsburgh reported that homes several miles away were damaged. Tomer said at least two other homes suffered damage but did not say how close they were to the explosion site.

The Allegheny County fire marshal’s office said all potential outside factors were eliminated, including wells, pipelines and other utilities, pinpointing the source as a home on Rustic Ridge Drive in Plum Borough. As authorities searched for the occupants, they found the bodies of the man and the woman, Tomer said. Abigail Gardner, the director of communications for Allegheny County, identified the victims as David Mitchell Jr. and Helen Mitchell. Palmer said that both firefighters were treated for severe smoke inhalation but are expected to be okay.

The cause of the blast — which destroyed three structures and damaged at least a dozen others — remains under investigation, but officials have said Oravitz and his wife, Heather, were having issues with their hot water tank. The Allegheny County fire marshal’s office is leading the investigation, along with local law enforcement. County spokesperson Amie Downs said emergency responders reported people trapped under debris after one house apparently exploded and two others were engulfed in flames. Crews from at least 18 fire departments were working to douse the flames with the help of water tankers from Allegheny and Westmoreland counties.