Explosion displaces 8 people, destroys 2 apartments

KDKA

By Mike Darnay, Erika Stanish

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    CLAIRTON, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — Two apartments were destroyed and at least eight people were left without a home following a late-night explosion at the Century Townhomes in Clairton.

The explosion happened at a building in the complex located along Miles Avenue just after 11:30 on Thursday night.

Clairton Fire Chief Joe Lazur said no one was injured in the explosion that left two apartments destroyed and two others damaged.

Eight people have been displaced from their homes as a result of the blast.

Chief Lazur said there was a small fire when crews arrived at the scene and it was put out quickly.

Workers from Peoples Gas arrived at the scene shortly after the explosion and were seen investigating with flashlights and testing devices. In a statement, the company said crews haven’t detected the presence of natural gas in the air or soil nearby.

Peoples Gas confirmed it received reports of a possible gas odor on Thursday. A technician was dispatched to investigate and determined the source of the smell was not coming from the Peoples system.

Tenants recall living through explosion

Two tenants who were inside a townhome when it exploded last night told KDKA-TV Friday they’re thankful to be alive.

Ben Livingston and Stephanie McMurry said they had just finished watching the Steelers game Thursday night when flames and smoke broke out inside their home and the ceiling collapsed.

“I couldn’t see him, but I told him, ‘follow my voice, we gotta get out,’ because I saw that fire and smoke,” McMurry said.

“I thought I was going to die. I mean, this ceiling came down so fast. It was terrifying. Terrifying,” Livingston said.

Just days before the explosion, McMurry said the landlord had a crew outside their building to cut the grass when she heard the mower hit something behind their townhome.

“Shortly after back near his washer and dryer, where there’s a gas pipe, I heard something clicking. I could smell gas real strong out here,” McMurry said.

Residents report smelling gas days before explosion

Several tenants told KDKA-TV they could smell gas days before the explosion.

“[Ben] came home from work, and I said, ‘you need to contact the landlord and that gas company, because that meter that’s connected to the back of your house is making a funny noise,’ something I’ve never heard before, and there was a real strong smell of gas earlier today,” McMurry said. “He was like, ‘yeah, I’ll do it in the morning,’ which took us to Tuesday. I was loading my car here, or I had him loading my car, and a young lady came out of one of these units and she said, ‘hey, sir, do you smell gas?’ And he was like, ‘no,’ and I said, ‘thank you.’ She said, ‘it’s real strong right over here.'”

Livingston said he contacted both his landlord and the gas company about the smell.

Several residents, who did not want to go on camera, told KDKA-TV on Friday that they saw crews with the gas company working outside the building for several days leading up to the explosion.

“I thought they had to have fixed it. Last night when I took out my trash, I smelled the gas. Like ugh, they didn’t fix [expletive]. They ain’t do nothing,” Livingston said.

Ben and Stephanie said the meter was making the same clicking noise last night before the blast happened.

“So you believe someone made a mistake here?” KDKA-TV reporter Erika Stanish asked.

“Absolutely, yes. Unequivocally. Unequivocally, a bunch of mistakes,” McMurry said.

Residents pull 2 cats from rubble

Livingston and McMurry returned on Friday afternoon to look for their cats, who were missing after the explosion.

KDKA-TV caught the emotional moment on camera when Livingston found both cats still inside his home, buried under the rubble.

“We saved them!” McMurry shouted.

“That’s my boy,” Livingston said.

The Allegheny County Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the explosion.

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