Crime & Safety
Plum House Explosion: PA Gov. Josh Shapiro Orders DEP Inquiry
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has ordered the state Department of Environmental Protection to investigate the blast that killed six people
HARRISBURG, PA — Gov. Josh Shapiro has ordered the state Department of Environmental Protection to investigate the cause of the explosion in Plum Saturday that killed six people, including the borough manager and community development director.
Shapiro also has been in contact with the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission urging an independent investigation of the incident, PAEnvironmentDaily.com reported.
Lauren Camarda, communications manager for the environmental protection department's southwest regional office, told the website that the department will examine potential sources of methane near the three houses that were destroyed in the explosion.
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The department's Interactive Oil/Gas Well Map shows more than a dozen active and abandoned conventional gas and oil wells within a mile or so of the home that exploded.
Six people died in the blast on Rustic Ridge Drive.
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