Plum house explosion: 6th person dies at hospital
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A sixth person has died after a house exploded in Plum over the weekend.
Paul Oravitz, 56, died Wednesday, Allegheny County announced, four days after the deadly blast in the Rustic Ridge neighborhood. He was taken to a local hospital in critical condition after the explosion.
Oravitz's wife, Heather, died after their home on Rustic Ridge Drive exploded Saturday. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Officer identified the other victims as 38-year-old Casey Clontz, 12-year-old Keegan Clontz, 55-year-old Kevin Sebunia and 57-year-old Michael Thomas.
They were a close group, with many of them united by their love of youth soccer. They leave behind an impact that won't be forgotten.
"People talk about irreplaceable human beings. Those guys were irreplaceable human beings," Fred Lucas said. "It's tough. It's real tough."
He and Paul knew each other for 20 years, ever since Paul's daughter started playing for the Plum Area Youth Soccer Club, which Lucas heads up.
"Paul never told me no. 'I need this, Paul, can you help me out with that?' He was always there," Lucas said.
"When you met him, you liked him, simple as that," Lucas added. "He was one of a kind."
Paul volunteered right away, and over time held different positions within the club, most recently as treasurer. Along the way, Heather was always there. Back in the day, she brought drinks and oranges for her kids' team.
"Heather was the most supportive wife I was ever around," Lucas said.
Thomas, the borough manager, and Sebunia were also heavily involved. Sebunia was a longtime board member who dedicated much time to the organization.
"He was up here last weekend helping cook for the coaches' game we put on," Lucas said.
Thomas continued to boost the club after spending three to four years on the board. Lucas thanks Thomas for going the extra mile to improve the borough.
"He was concerned about the borough, he was concerned about kids, and he was concerned about making sure that things worked right," Lucas said.
It's a quality they all had in common.
"Our club has really come a long way through the years to become the biggest youth organization in Plum. Those people had a lot to do with it," Lucas said.
Now, Lucas is going to make sure that mentality is instilled in the program for the years to come.
"They would want us to keep going. They would want us to keep it strong. They would want us to keep improving, and in their memory, I'll guarantee you, this group of people here will do that," Lucas said.
Lucas said at some point they want to establish a permanent memorial to honor their friends at the home of the soccer club at Larry Mills Park.
The cause of the blast is unknown. Allegheny County officials said that the investigation could take months or even years.
