Deadly Plum Explosion: State Updates Inquiry On Blast's Cause

PLUM, PA — State Department of Environmental Protection inspectors have begun conducting a stray gas inquiry at the site of a catastrophic home explosion last weekend in which six people died.

Gov. Josh Shapiro ordered the probe after the blast on Rustic Ridge Drive, which left the community devastated. Among the victims were the borough manager and the borough community development director.

The environmental protection department is working in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, the Allegheny County Fire Marshal's Office, utility operators and other county and local emergency service agencies.

“Fromthe moment DEP was called in to investigate, our experts have worked tirelessly alongside county officials and partner agencies to aid in identifying the cause,”DEP Secretary Rich Negrin said in a statement Friday.

“Our emergency response team, geologists, and members of the Oil and Gas District Operations will continue to have boots on the ground in the days ahead, as we exhaust every relevant resource in our scope of jurisdiction.”

Department inspectors are using handheld gas detectors to take daily readings for the presence and concentration of combustible gas – like methane – in the soil or in structures around Rustic Ridge. Where sufficient volume of gas is measured, inspectors are taking samples for lab analysis.

The department expects expedited results from the first samples collected. Potential methane sources include landfills, sewer lines, active-abandoned-historic oil or natural gas wells and associated pipelines, and coal mines.

The department staff has already inspected the closest oil and gas well sites near Rustic Ridge and are coordinating with the owners/operators of the wells and associated pipelines. DEP staff have begun inspecting abandoned/historic wells and will continue to search for unregistered oil and gas wells in the area that may also be a source of natural gas.

The department has assessed the coal seam in Plum found no nearby shafts or drill/bore holes in the vicinity of the incident and determined the likelihood of an abandoned mine-related gas issue to be very low.