The two people found dead after an explosion destroyed a home in the Pittsburgh area near the Ohio River on Tuesday have been identified.
The bodies of David Mitchell Jr., 89, and Helen Mitchell, 87, were recovered at the scene, Abigail Gardner, communications director for Allegheny County, told NBC News.
Allegheny County emergency dispatchers said the explosion in Crescent Township, in Pittsburgh's northwest suburbs, was reported shortly before 9 a.m. Tuesday. Aerial images of the scene showed smoldering ruins, with the structure reduced to rubble and some large pieces lodged in the trees above.
The explosion “completely leveled” the house, and arriving units reported “fire throughout the base” and along the hillside, said Chief Andrew Tomer of the Crescent Township Fire Department. A private gas well and two propane tanks at the site were secured, he said.
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Debris remains after a house explosion on March 12, 2024 in Crescent Township, Pennsylvania. Allegheny County emergency dispatchers said the explosion in suburban Pittsburgh was reported around 9 a.m. Tuesday. (Tim Robbibaro/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)
Tomer called the explosion “severe, absolutely extreme” and added: “You could feel it in your chest.” He said it was heard and felt in Crescent and in nearby townships and even across the river. At the fire department, he and others immediately saw “a column of white smoke in the air followed by a thick column of black smoke.”
Two other homes were damaged, but no other injuries were reported.
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The fire chief described the explosion as “severe, absolutely extreme” and “you could feel it in your chest.” (Associated Press)
The cause of the explosion is under investigation by the Allegheny County Fire Marshal's Office and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
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On August 12, a Explosion in the Plum neighborhood About 40 miles away, in the same county, they killed six people and destroyed three homes. Authorities said the cause was under investigation, but the explosion occurred inside one of the homes, ruling out an external cause such as wells, pipes and other utilities.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
