On a wooden pew at St. Januarius Church in Plum, Marie Pietropaolo said a prayer for her neighbors. Just about 2 miles away, a house explosion and fire destroyed multiple homes and claimed the lives of five people.
The longtime Plum resident asked for strength and healing in the families affected. She says it’s all she can really do.
“It was very tragic, so this is a way of talking to God,” she said. “We can't really do much other than that. We support them.”
Saturday morning, one house exploded and two others burned to the ground in Rustic Ridge Estates, a planned community in the heart of Plum. Numerous nearby houses felt the destruction.
The Plum community, still waiting for an official identification of the victims and answers to the cause of the incident, has since poured its energy into supporting victims and their families through fundraisers, donations and a prayer vigil.
Ron Sakolsky, school board member for the Plum Borough School District, dropped by to donate. Mr. Sakolsky, who lives in the Holiday Park section of the borough, recalls another explosion in the area, one that occurred on Mardi Gras Drive back in 2008. The accident, caused by a corrosion of a gas line, killed a 64-year-old and injured a 4-year-old.
Devin Adams, a practicing Catholic, also came to church. He heard the boom of the explosion — so forceful that it shook his home off McJunkin Road, 7 miles away. It was like a “wave of intense energy,” he remembers.
Startled by the sound, Mr. Adams thought a large piece of furniture fell in his basement. But when he checked the area, nothing appeared wrong. It wasn’t until he went out to his deck that he knew something terrible happened.
“There was just a line of first responders coming in from out of town,” he said.
Eighteen fire departments from neighboring areas aided in the response. This is the third home explosion to happen in the borough in the past 15 years.
Officials reported that people were trapped under debris when first responders from the police and fire department arrived on scene. One home had exploded, and two others were engulfed in fire. Multiple other homes, at least a dozen, were damaged. Some with their windows blown out.
The evidence was visible Monday morning, as windows of nearby homes were now boarded up with plywood. Indistinguishable pieces of debris still scattered the street and around one a home, diminished to a charred frame with nothing left but black rubble inside.
Below the Brookside Drive street sign nearby lay tangled up caution tape and small red and yellow flags planted in the ground. “Danger: buried electrical cable,” some read.
The cause of the incident remains under investigation. Peoples Natural Gas President Mike Huwar previously said during a news conference that no immediate problems were found at the scene.
Officials on Monday night said most of the properties near the explosion site have been released to the homeowners for “any steps they wish to take for their residences, including repairs and demolitions.” The borough would need to approve any permit or demolition applications.
The Allegheny County Fire Marshal’s Office continues to investigate the properties at 139, 141, and 143 Rustic Ridge Drive.
The fire marshal’s office said Monday evening that the homeowners at 141 Rustic Ridge were having issues with the hot water tank in their basement, and that will be investigated that ”along with any and all other possibilities during their processes that may explain what occurred.”
The statement said officials are still working with the medical examiner’s office to make formal identification of the five individuals — four adults and one adolescent — recovered from the site.
One of the homes that was destroyed belonged to longtime borough Manager Michael Thomas. Mr. Thomas’ home was next door to the house that exploded midmorning Saturday. Two nearby houses also were destroyed. Plum Borough Council President Mike Doyle has confirmed that Mr. Thomas’ home was destroyed along with one owned by Paul D. and Heather L. Oravitz.
Post-Gazette news partner KDKA reported that among those killed in the explosion were Casey and Keegan Clontz, a father and his 12-year-old son, and Kevin Sebunia, all neighbors. Mr. Sebunia’s daughter Emily told KDKA she received a frantic call from her mother Saturday morning to report the three were trapped in the basement of a house in the neighborhood and it was on fire.
A way to give back
The community hasn’t sat idle as it reels from the incident. Plum varsity cheerleaders gathered outside Plum’s Community Market on Milltown Road, carrying signs reading, “Help Rustic Ridge,” and “Plum Strong,” for a fundraiser.
Passersby heading in and out of the market dug into their pockets to drop cash and changes in buckets held by the teens.
“This is all I have,” one woman said as she dropped pennies in a bin.
Amanda Anderson, a sixth grade school teacher for the Plum School District, didn’t want to just sit back as the community reeled. As the head varsity cheerleading coach, she wanted to find a way to give back in any way she could. Her cheerleaders collected money all day Sunday and came back, despite the rain, to continue gathering funds Monday. The money will go directly to families through Angels In DaSkys, a local nonprofit handling donations.
“It's very uplifting to see how much the community is willing to go above and beyond to help everybody in need, just trying to be there for you know, our neighbors and do what we can,” she said. “Everybody just wants to help and they're thankful that there's, you know, something quick, and an easy way for them to help.”
Mr. Sakolsky didn’t think he’d see another incident of this kind. All there is to wait for answers as to what happened, he said.
“Let’s hope, God willing, that nothing like this ever happens again,” he said. “But Plum Borough is a community that as something drastic happens, it pulls itself together. When it comes to Mustang country, we just do what we know is the right thing to do.”
The sentiment is made clear at the Renton Volunteer Fire Department. Hundreds of packaged bottled water is stacked along the walls of the station, along with boxes of snacks. The department has seen so many bottled water donations that the staff have stored them along the inside hallway, too. Since Saturday, the fire hall has opened its doors to provide water, hot meals, snacks and basic supplies to residents affected by the incident.
The efforts have consumed Anita Maydak-Neace, president of Renton Volunteer Fire Department, for the past few days. The help will be here indefinitely, she said. But she emphasizes that the staff isn’t working alone — local restaurants have delivered meals, a refrigeration company gave the department a 14-foot truck to keep drinks cool and those donating have helped organize the supplies.
“It's been overwhelming, but that was five times higher,” she said, pointing to the water stacks. “It was way up. We couldn’t reach the top. That's how much we've given out.”
Call for gift cards
She said the best thing for people to donate now are gift cards, to stores such as Target or Walmart, so families can buy items according to their personal needs. Many people are still displaced until they get cleared to return home.
“A lot of people were forced out of their houses, and a lot can't go back until they're deemed safe,” she said. “They have to wait until the inspectors go through now. And even if you have good insurance, by the time the adjuster comes, by the time everything goes through — you need a toothbrush tonight, right? You need clothing tonight.”
On Tuesday, the Plum Boro Music Boosters will host a Marching Band Preview & Kona Ice Fundraiser at Plum Senior High School, and a holy hour will be held on Tuesday at St. John The Baptist Church at 7:30 p.m. The Plum High School boys soccer team has also organized a fundraiser selling custom Plum porch boards.
As community aid continues, residents like Ms. Pietropaolo anxiously await updates. Still, the tragedy still doesn’t feel real.
“I mean, it's like, every time I sit on television, I think they're going to come back and say we found people alive,” she said. “It just happened so fast.”
Jordan Anderson: janderson@post-gazette.com
First Published: August 14, 2023, 11:42 p.m.
Updated: August 15, 2023, 4:12 p.m.
