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Mar 5, 2008 11:51 pm US/Eastern
Officials Seek Cause Of Fatal Plum House Explosion
Neighborhood Evacuated, Shelter Set Up At Holiday Park Elementary School
PLUM BOROUGH (KDKA) ―
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Investigators are still at the scene of a house explosion in Plum Boro.
KDKA
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Medics attend to a young girl on a stretcher in Plum Borough after a house explosion on Mardis Gras Drive.
Murphy Moschetta/KDKA
Investigators are searching for the cause of a deadly house explosion in Plum Boro.
Richard Leith, 64, from Trafford was killed and his granddaughter, Gianna Pettinato, 4, reportedly suffered a broken femur in the blast.
It happened at about 1:40 p.m. on Mardi Gras Drive in the Holiday Park section. At least 15 homes were damaged.
When neighbors heard the blast, they ran outside. Don Rusch grabbed his video camera. He lives a block away.
"When I looked out, there was all kinds of debris floating in the air. I thought an airplane exploded," he told KDKA.
Authorities have evacuated the neighborhood. The Red Cross has set up a temporary shelter in the cafeteria of Holiday Park Elementary School.
While it's unclear how long the evacuation will last, Dominion Peoples Gas is paying for hotel rooms for displaced families. Families who need help should call 1-800-764-0686.
Meantime, the Allegheny County Fire Marshal is investigating and crews from Dominion Peoples Gas are checking the area for any other possible leaks.
A spokesperson from the gas company says there were no reports of an odor of natural gas or any construction going on in the area before the explosion.
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