A man who spent four days fighting for his life in a burn unit has become the sixth confirmed victim of the mysterious blast, which also killed his wife, in the Pennsylvania mining town of Plum.
Paul Oravitz, 56, died of injuries sustained in the blast after being pulled from the rubble just minutes after a ball of fire engulfed his street.
Oravitz’s wife Heather, 51, and neighbors Mike Thomas, 57, Kevin Sebunia, 55, Casey Clontz, 38, and son Keegan Clontz, 12, also died after three buildings were destroyed. were wiped out by the explosion just before 10:30 a.m. on Saturday.
The 56-year-old was a passionate supporter and treasurer of the town’s youth football club and was fondly remembered by its chairman, Fred Lucas.
“The world just lost one of the best creations God ever made,” Lucas said. “I don’t know anyone better than him and I’ve met a lot of people in my life.
Paul Oravitz, 56, died of injuries sustained in the blast after being pulled from the rubble just minutes after the fireball engulfed his street. He is the sixth victim of the explosion, including his wife Heather, 51
A GoFundMe for the two adult children in the family, his daughter, Taylor, 23, and son, Cole, 21, raised more than $50,000.
The cause of death for all of the victims remains pending investigation by the medical examiner’s office.
The remains of the victims have since been returned to the families for their funerals, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Terrifying footage showed the moment the house at 141 Rustic Ridge Road completely exploded, setting other properties ablaze.
The house belonged to the Oravitz family. Heather was the director of community development in the city, located about 20 miles east of Pittsburgh.
Two other people injured in the blast were treated in a hospital and released.
New doorbell footage shows the moment the house exploded, causing massive damage.
The sequence begins with a quiet, sunny shot of the street, with no sign of movement.
Public records show Paul Oravitz, 56, his wife Heather (pictured center right), 51, and their two children, Taylor (pictured right) and Cole (pictured left), lived at the property.
Casey Clontz, 38, and her son Keegan, 12, lived just four houses from the property that exploded in Plum at 10:22 a.m. on Saturday.
Kevin Sebunia has been described as a devoted family man who leaves behind his wife, Kelly, and daughters, Emily and Abigail
Borough manager Michael Thomas is survived by his wife Jackie and their 16-year-old daughter
Moments later, the camera shakes violently from the force of the explosion and debris is hurled down the street before falling to the ground like rain.
The first named victim, Casey Clontz, is survived by his wife Jen and daughter Addie, 10.
The family paid tribute to them: “Their smiles and laughter filled the hearts of their family and friends with joy that can never be replaced.”
Relatives did not say why father and son Keegan were on the Oravitz property, but said it was not uncommon for them to stop by as they were “very friendly” with neighbors.
Sebunia has been described as a devoted family man who leaves behind his wife, Kelly, and daughters, Emily and Abigail, according to the local newspaper Live Tribe.
“Her family came first,” her friend Joe Pulcini told the newspaper. “His two daughters came first.
Borough Superintendent Michael Thomas is survived by his wife Jackie and their 16-year-old daughter, Live Tribe said.
The mayor told the newspaper that Thomas recently taught his daughter to drive a shifter, describing him as “probably the best borough manager we’ve had.”
“He was a true professional and I considered him a friend. He ran the borough and ran it well,” Schlegel said.
Relatives did not say why the father and son were at the Oravitz property, but said it was not uncommon for them to stop by as they were “very friendly” with neighbors.
Five people have been found dead after a home explosion in western Pennsylvania destroyed three structures and damaged at least a dozen others, authorities said Sunday.
New doorbell footage shows the moment the house exploded causing massive damage
Emergency services were called Rustic Ridge Drive and Brookside Drive around 10.23am Saturday morning and discovered people trapped under debris, while two others were engulfed in flames, police said.
Police and emergency services search the wreckage of the three homes that blew up near Rustic Ridge Drive and Brookside Drive
Two firefighters stand on debris around the smoldering wreckage of the three homes that exploded near Rustic Ridge Drive and Brookside Drive in Plum
Rescuers said people were trapped under debris when they arrived at the scene.
County spokeswoman Amie Downs said the blast flattened one house and two others were on fire.
Fifty-seven firefighters were treated at the scene for minor issues, an Allegheny County official said.
The cause of the blast is being investigated by the Allegheny County Fire Marshal’s Office, as well as local law enforcement, with officials warning the process would be cautious and take time .
The Office of the Fire Marshal said in a statement Monday that it is aware of the reported hot water tank issues. The agency planned to investigate the cause of the explosion, keeping the hot water tank issue in mind, and “along with all other possibilities,” the statement said.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that the development sits on abandoned mining land surrounded by shallow oil and gas wells still in production or abandoned.
Two producing gas wells are about 1,000 feet (305 meters) from the exploded home and a pipeline runs behind the development, but neither structure has been identified as having been involved in the explosion, a reported the newspaper.
Michael Huwar, president of Peoples Gas, said official checks carried out by the company indicated that “our system was working as expected”.
Footage of the explosion circulating online shows a house in Plum, a Pittsburgh suburb, in what appears to be a fairly sleepy neighborhood, exploding and sending debris flying
A GoFundMe has been set up for the Oravitz family, which has raised over $50,000
The state’s Utilities Commission said Tuesday it is monitoring the utility’s nearby line integrity testing and interviewing utility employees, first responders and residents, as well as coordinating the collection of evidence from the scene “including service lines and natural gas meters”.
The commission’s safety engineers also oversaw the restoration of electrical service as well as the planning and safe restoration of natural gas service.
A county spokesperson said Tuesday that electrical service was restored by Sunday afternoon to all homes other than the three that were destroyed.
