'We're Plum strong:' Plum community members rally around those affected by house explosion
PLUM, Pa. (KDKA) - Andy Zarroli can hardly find the words to describe what he and his neighbors are going through.
"It's so sad, and it's so horrible, and there's just so much sadness," Zarroli said. "It's just really, really hard to think about it and think about what happened. I still am having a lot of trouble with it."
He knew the five people killed in Saturday morning's house explosion. And it happened right across the street from him on Rustic Ridge Drive.
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"It was the loudest sound that I've ever heard in my entire life."
It knocked him off his couch. But eventually, he got up and found his windows and doors blown out and his neighbor's house up in flames.
"I was in shock. And it was just really hard to understand, like, what was happening?"
It didn't take long before the two homes on both sides also caught fire.
"I was thinking that the fire was going to come across the street. It certainly looked like it at the time, there was no way to know which direction it was gonna go."
Twenty-four hours later, he and his daughter, Mia, heading off to college in a few days, were moving things out.
The place they've lived since 2008 is now condemned.
"I feel bad leaving them just to deal with everything," Mia said.
"Life's not going to be the same after this," Andy said. "But we don't really have a house for her, so it might be better to go to college."
As families pick up the pieces, the rest of the Plum community is stepping up with food, water, boxes, and anything folks could need.
"We're Plum strong; it's when one's down, we're all here to help out and support," Plum's Justin Osborne said.
Osborne is the head coach of the high school boy's lacrosse team.
They, along with the cheerleaders and little Mustangs, joined together to cook burgers and fried chicken for the neighborhood Sunday.
"These are great people around here, and some of the ones we've lost, you know? You know, but it's a great neighborhood, and everybody sticks together. And these are all friends of mine," Andy Zarroli said.
It's appreciated by families like the Zarrolis, who are just grateful for what they still have.
"My kids are okay. And my wife is okay. We'll be fine. I'll be fine because a lot of people lost a lot more."
