Fatal Plum house explosion spurs lawsuits from Rustic Ridge homeowners
Three dozen homeowners in Plum filed lawsuits Thursday stemming from the fatal 2023 house explosion in the Rustic Ridge development. The two complaints, filed in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, name as defendants Penneco Oil Co.; Peoples Natural Gas; A.O. Smith Corp., which sold the water heater believed by the...
Plum mayor, neighbors hope Rustic Ridge lawsuits will bring answers
After families of six people killed in a 2023 house explosion in Plum sued multiple companies for alleged negligence and wrongful death Tuesday, the borough’s mayor and neighbors in the Rustic Ridge housing plan say they hope the suits will offer some answers nearly two years later. Filed in Allegheny...
‘It’s hard not to break’: Daughter of Plum house explosion victims continues to grieve without closure
Wherever Taylor Oravitz goes, her childhood home goes with her. The Plum native had her Rustic Ridge Drive home’s GPS coordinates tattooed on her forearm, though not for nostalgia’s sake. Rather, it’s a kind of memorial in ink and flesh. On Aug. 12, 2023, a massive explosion at her family’s...
‘Series of failures’: Lawsuit blames fatal Plum house explosion on pipeline leak, water heater
Families of the six people killed in a 2023 house explosion in Plum’s Rustic Ridge subdivision have sued multiple companies for negligence and wrongful death, blaming them for the catastrophe and pinpointing the cause as a pipeline leak that filled the basement of Heather and Paul Oravitz’s home with flammable...
Senior quartet helps Plum flag football team score early-season wins
The Plum girls flag football team worked out and practiced for the better part of three months to be ready for the opening weekend of its second season, a showcase event March 29 involving high school and college teams at Saint Vincent College. The Mustangs, led by a group of...
Top-seeded Plum boys soccer team headed to 1st WPIAL final in 19 years
For years, Plum boys soccer coach Raf Kolankowski has talked about how the soccer gods haven’t shined on his group in the postseason. Well, on Tuesday, the Mustangs went to an “Alter,” and their prayers were answered. Christian Alter scored three minutes into the second half for what proved to...
Investigation into Plum house explosion could take years, officials say
It could take years to determine a cause of the deadly house explosion in Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood, officials said Tuesday. “These can be very, very lengthy investigative processes,” said Matthew Brown, chief of Allegheny County’s Department of Emergency Services. “The key is to actually, definitively, get to what the...
Plum holds solemn vigil for those lost in house explosion a year ago
At 10:23 a.m. Monday, Plum paused to remember those who died in a house explosion in the borough’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood exactly one year ago. Church bells at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church were among those that began chiming at the precise moment Paul and Heather Oravitz’s home exploded...
Plum community to observe Rustic Ridge anniversary 1 year later with no answers
As a Plum community pauses to remember those who died in a fatal house explosion a year ago, questions about the cause remain unresolved, and a mayor is demanding answers. Six residents of the Rustic Ridge neighborhood died as a result of the massive Aug. 12 explosion, which sent shock...
Peoples Gas service lines not responsible for Plum explosion, PUC finds
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission said Tuesday there is no link between Peoples Gas service lines and the August 2023 house explosion in Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood that killed six people. “Our investigators have concluded their work and they did not find anything on the utility side that was the...
Golf tournament to benefit 4 families who lost loved ones in Rustic Ridge house explosion
An upcoming golf tournament benefiting the four families who lost loved ones in the Rustic Ridge house explosion in Plum last year is personal for Nick Davis, one of its organizers. Davis, 39, of Monroeville has known Jen Clontz since they were in kindergarten in the Gateway School District. He...
Rustic Ridge family that lost home to explosion awaits completion of new house
As Rick and Beth Napoleon planned their new house in Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood, they knew it had to be different. “With every decision, we’re pretty much trying to do the complete opposite of the last house,” Rick Napoleon said. “Every decision is the opposite. We want something new, different...
Helping hands: Donations exceed $875,000 for those affected by Plum house explosion
Rafal Kolankowski and his family have felt the full embrace of the Plum community since August — some of it in the form of bracelets, lemonade and yard signs. The Kolankowskis are among about a dozen families whose homes were destroyed or severely damaged when a nearby house exploded in...
Plum baseball continues winning ways with shutout of Gateway
Plum is starting to hit its stride in Section 1-5A. The Mustangs have won five straight games after a tough section sweep at the hands of Penn-Trafford. Plum took care of Penn Hills twice last week, scored a key nonsection victory over North Allegheny last Friday and finished off a...
Investigators interview man who visited Rustic Ridge home days ahead of fatal explosion
Allegheny County authorities say they identified a man who was seen on the porch of a home in Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood days before it exploded last year. The man was not suspected of any wrongdoing, but investigators believed he could have information that might help in the ongoing investigation,...
‘Sad, dreadful feelings’: Couple’s death in house explosion rekindles memories, unanswered questions
When Rick Napoleon heard about a fatal home explosion in Crescent last week, he was overcome by sadness and empathy. The thoughts of destruction and death that he and his neighbors endured seven months ago in Plum’s Rustic Ridge community came flooding back. His home was destroyed when his neighbor’s...
Plum honors Rustic Ridge resident for heroism, elevates interim manager
Plum has honored a man for his heroism in the aftermath of the Rustic Ridge explosion, while also taking a step to help the borough’s government move forward from the August catastrophe that left six dead. Greg Renko, president of the Rustic Ridge homeowners association, received a proclamation honoring him...
Home for the holidays carries different meaning for Rustic Ridge residents this year
Rick Napoleon’s home felt so much bigger before it was gone. A steel beam crossing the width of the foundation was the only thing above Napoleon’s head as he recently stood in what had been the garage and basement of his family’s home of 18 years. The rest of the...
Hydrant system where Plum house exploded not enough to fight fully engulfed house fire, Plum fire chief says
The fire hydrant system in the Rustic Ridge neighborhood of Plum, where a house explosion killed six people in August, is not adequate for fighting a single fully engulfed house fire, according to a borough fire chief who was on the scene that day. “Due to the fire load, the...
‘We’re all coming together’: Plum teachers revive festival to support Rustic Ridge families
After stopping by the airbrush booth and trying their hand at carnival games, it was time for the Betancourt family and their friends to swing by the food trucks. The group had donned their Halloween costumes to attend the Festival of Honor Sunday at Plum Senior High School. The event...
Old Mine Road in Plum to be renamed Mike Thomas Way in memory of borough manager
A Plum street that leads to the borough building, public works facility, Plum EMS and a fire station will be renamed in memory of a late borough manager. Michael Thomas, 57, was among six people who lost their lives Aug. 12 in a house explosion in the borough’s Rustic Ridge...
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...
