1 dead, 3 injured and several missing after Plum home explosion

One person was killed and several are missing after an explosion destroyed at least three homes and damaged at least a dozen others in a Pittsburgh-area suburb Saturday.

Emergency responders received a call about a house explosion causing multiple injuries and several houses to catch fire in Plum, less than 30 minutes outside of Pittsburgh, just before 10:30 a.m., according to Allegheny County officials.

Shocking Ring footage obtained by WPXI shows how a tree-lined home exploded without warning, sending a violent ball of flames, smoke and debris into the clear blue sky.

Police and fire department responders arrived on the scene to find multiple people trapped under debris and two homes engulfed in flames, county officials said. 

One person died at the scene, while three others were transported to local hospitals. One victim is in critical condition while the others are stable, Steve Imbarlina, assistant chief of Allegheny County Emergency Services, said at a press conference.

Several people are still unaccounted for, Imbarlina said. Officials were unable to provide names or ages for those missing.

As a result of the explosion, three homes were destroyed, and a dozen others were damaged, with many having their windows blown out, officials said. 

Water tankers from both Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, 18 fire departments, Allegheny County emergency management officials and Allegheny County fire marshals were all on the scene Saturday, county officials said. 

Saturday’s explosion was among the worst James Sims, emergency management coordinator for Plum, has ever seen.

“I’ve been to six house explosions in Plum, and this is the worst I’ve seen in 47 years or 48 years, the worst one, just the amount of damage,” he told WTAE-TV.

Imbarlina said that the scene remains active and that responders would work through the evening.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, officials said.