Plum Explosion category, Page 2
Car rally for Rustic Ridge families raises thousands
A large event in support of families of the Rustic Ridge tragedy exceeded expectations Sunday, with thousands of attendees raising at least several thousands of dollars. Rachel Vlosich co-organized a car rally expecting about 300 people to bring their muscle cars and designer vehicles to Plum Senior High School. More...
Wife, daughter of Plum explosion victim Kevin Sebunia speak out about losing an ‘amazing man’ and the investigation
The wife and daughter of Kevin Sebunia, one of the victims in the fatal Aug. 12 home explosion in Plum, are sharing their story just over a month since the man they say had a “heart of gold” passed away. Kelly Sebunia, Kevin’s wife, and their daughter, Emily Brizee, sat...
Investigators say cause of fatal Plum explosion came from inside the home
The point of origin for a deadly home explosion in Plum on Aug. 12 came from inside the house at 141 Rustic Ridge, the Allegheny County Fire Marshal’s Office said Friday. Officials continue to investigate the explosion that occurred just less than a month ago in Plum’s Rustic Ridge subdivision,...
PUC rules public utility equipment not at fault in 2022 Plum home explosion
A Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission ruling that an April 2022 home explosion in Plum was not caused by public utility equipment does not eliminate the possibility that natural gas caused the explosion. In a statement released Tuesday, the PUC’s safety division found no evidence that public utility natural gas equipment...
Plum fire trucks among vehicles at food truck rally, touch-a-truck event benefiting Rustic Ridge
Three of the Plum fire trucks that responded to the Rustic Ridge house explosion Aug. 12 were out in the community for a different, but related, reason on Saturday. Ladder trucks from the Holiday Park and Unity fire departments and an engine from the Renton company were among the vehicles...
Woman offers gas imaging camera service to Rustic Ridge residents
A certified thermographer said Thursday she hoped to give residents in Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood some peace of mind by volunteering to use hydrothermic technology to look for possible gas leaks in homes. Christina Digiulio of Chester County visited Rustic Ridge and offered to use a hydrocarbon imaging camera to...
Rustic Ridge homeowners whose houses were damaged by the house explosion could get tax relief
Plum officials are notifying Rustic Ridge homeowners whose houses were substantially damaged by the house explosion there two weeks ago that they may be eligible for a significant reduction in their property assessment. Plum officials are pointing to those homeowners to a Catastrophic Loss Application that is available from the...
Neighbor near fatal Plum house explosion can get house fixed but mourns loss of friends, wonders about the future
Andy Zarroli might be the first of nearly a dozen homeowners in Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood to know his house can be repaired following the fatal house explosion two weeks ago. But while his house can be fixed, he’s not sure if he and his wife can call it home...
Olympus Energy donating 250 gas detectors to Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood
A Washington County-based oil and natural gas company is donating 250 methane detectors for homes in Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood where six people died from a house explosion Aug. 12. Olympus Energy of Cecil Township gave the detectors to the Rustic Ridge Homeowners Association. Gov. Josh Shapiro and Rich Negrin,...
Plum holds first council meeting since house explosion killed 6, including 2 borough officials
David Soboslay has been named the interim manager of Plum, replacing Michael Thomas, who was one of the six people killed in the Rustic Ridge house explosion Aug. 12. Plum Council met Wednesday night for the first time since the explosion. Its regular August meeting, scheduled for Aug. 14, was...
Wendell August Forge ornament to honor, support Plum community
Wendell August Forge announced Wednesday it is producing an ornament honoring the Plum community following the fatal Aug. 12 house explosion in the borough’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood. The “Plum Proud” ornaments cost $20 and are available directly from Wendell August Forge through its website. The Grove City company said half...
Like smoke alarms, natural gas alarms can ‘alert you to a potential problem’
Residents of a Plum neighborhood where a house explosion killed six people might soon have natural gas alarms installed in their homes. But these devices are not exclusive to Rustic Ridge. In the wake of explosions from eastern Pennsylvania to New York City and beyond, the use of natural gas...
NTSB will not investigate fatal Plum home explosion for now
The National Transportation Safety Board has opted not to investigate this month’s massive fatal explosion in Plum based on preliminary information that the source of the blast was inside the home that blew up — not in an outside pipeline. That could change, as more details emerge about the disaster...
Resource center event announced for Plum’s Rustic Ridge residents
Multiple services and help will be available for residents of Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood during an event Thursday afternoon at the borough’s municipal center, officials announced Tuesday. The Multi-Agency Resource Center will be offered from noon to 8 p.m. in the municipal center’s gymnasium. Individuals will need to provide identification...
Rustic Ridge families organize 2-day back-to-school event for neighborhood kids
In her 20 years as a resident of Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood, Jennifer Corson, a mother of three, had never seen an event like she saw Monday. Another resident, Kristie Keller, organized a two-day back-to-school affair to help the area’s children prepare for their return to the classroom Wednesday while...
DEP examining ‘pinhole leak’ in gas line as part of Rustic Ridge house explosion probe
Officials with the state Department of Environmental Protection gave an update Monday on the agency’s investigation in Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood following a fatal house explosion Aug. 12. It came a week after Gov. Josh Shapiro directed the agency to start a stray gas investigation. DEP Secretary Rich Negrin dispatched...
Funeral arrangements set for Keegan and Casey Clontz
A father and son devoted to one another in life will be mourned together this week as Plum residents grapple with the loss from a devastating house explosion nine days ago. Funeral arrangements have been released for Keegan William Clontz, 12, and for his father, Casey Thomas Clontz, 38. They...
A week after fatal house explosion, Plum community seeks the will to push forward
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...
10 houses near site of Plum explosion being examined for structural integrity
Ten homes near a massive explosion that leveled three other houses in Plum last Saturday and killed six people will have to be examined by building experts to determine whether people can live in them again. Allegheny County released a statement Saturday that included for the first time the exact...
‘Prayers for Rustic Ridge’ yard signs uniting, benefiting Plum community
A yard sign is helping to bring the Plum community together in the wake of tragedy. Corey Smith, a Plum native and 2007 graduate of its high school, is a co-owner of FastSigns in Monroeville. Following last Saturday’s house explosion that claimed six lives, he started Monday by making 10...
State inspectors capture gas samples at Plum explosion site, await test results
State inspectors sweeping the Plum subdivision where a massive house explosion last weekend killed six people have detected low levels of combustible gas in the vicinity of the blast. They are awaiting test results to identify the vapor and determine its source. The mere presence of such gas does not...
Clontz family thanks first responders, others who helped during Plum house explosion
Jen and Addie Clontz on Friday thanked everyone who responded to the Plum house explosion and those people who are helping them process the enormity of it. Jen’s husband, Casey, 38, and son, Keegan, 12, died in the explosion Saturday in the Rustic Ridge neighborhood in Plum. Jen and Casey...
Plum’s boys and girls golf teams organize outing to benefit Rustic Ridge victims
Plum Senior High School’s girls and boys golf teams are uniting to raise funds for the victims of the house explosion in the Rustic Ridge neighborhood. The Rustic Ridge “Plum Strong” Plum Boys & Girls Golf Teams Charity Outing is scheduled for Sept. 17 at Willowbrook Country Club in Allegheny...
Therapy dogs provide comfort in Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood
Gloria Frick says everyone knows the power dogs can have on a person’s well-being. On Thursday, Frick and other members of the Alliance of Therapy Dogs brought some four-legged comfort to Ridge Top Park in Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood, where six people were killed in a home explosion Saturday. Those...
Plum School District partners with therapists to serve those impacted by explosion tragedy
A few days ago, Erica Kuhn and Melissa Gionta-Oliver were strangers. Now the two therapists from Plum are spearheading efforts to provide an online database of mental health resources for the Plum Borough School District and community after the tragic house explosion Saturday in the borough’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood. The...
