6th Person Dies in Horrific House Explosion

But another, Casey Clontz, lived long enough to call his wife
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 17, 2023 11:02 AM CDT
Victim of House Explosion Survived—Initially
An investigator walks through the debris from a home explosion on Aug. 13, 2023, which occurred the day before in Plum, Pa.   (Lucy Schaly/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP, File)

A sixth person caught up in the explosion that leveled a home in Plum, Pennsylvania, over the weekend has died. Paul Oravitz, 56, died Wednesday in a Pittsburgh hospital, where he was taken in critical condition following Saturday's blast, with burns across much of his body. His wife, Heather Oravitz, 51, died during the explosion, alongside Michael Thomas, 57; Kevin Sebunia, 55; Casey Clontz, 38; and Clontz's son, Keegan, 12, the medical examiner confirmed Tuesday, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Heather and Paul Oravitz owned the home where the explosion occurred and were upstairs at the time. The four other victims were in the basement, reportedly working on a malfunctioning hot water tank, per WPXI.

Incredibly, at least one of the victims in the basement survived the initial blast—captured in doorbell camera footage obtained by KCRA—and made a desperate call for help, WPXI reports. Casey Clontz, a Peoples Gas employee, was able to call his wife, indicating he was trapped, the Daily Beast reports, via WPXI. The blast ultimately destroyed two other homes and damaged a dozen more. The cause is still under investigation, though the fire marshal confirmed that the Oravitzes were experiencing issues with their hot water tank. The AP reports the neighborhood sits "on abandoned mine land surrounded by shallow oil and gas wells," including two producing gas within 1,000 feet of the Oravitzes' home, though they do not appear to have been involved. (More explosion stories.)

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