A father-of-two who died in the horrific home explosion in Plum, Pennsylvania, made a heartbreaking final phone call to his wife as he lay trapped beneath the rubble, it has been revealed.
Casey Clontz, 38, and his son Keegan Clontz, 12, were among the six people killed as a result of the tragedy which rocked the Rustic Ridge Estates neighbourhood on Saturday morning.
The sudden blast erupted just before 10.30am on Rustic Ridge Drive, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of Pittsburgh, levelling the home and destroying two other houses close by.
Sources have now told Channel 11 that Casey was in the basement of the home at the time of the explosion and survived the initial blast.
In his final moments, the devoted father-of-two managed to call his wife asking for help.
In the call, he told her that he and others were trapped in the basement.
It is unclear if the other people trapped with him were alive at that point.
By the time search teams had reached Casey, he and his son had both died from their injuries.
Jen Clontz – Casey’s wife and Keegan’s mother – and Casey’s best friend Nick Davis paid tribute to the father and son who lived just four houses down from the home where the explosion unfolded.
The family told TribLive that Casey and Keegan were inseparable and loved spending time together outdoors.
“Keegan and Casey were their most happy when they were spending time at the lake with their lake family and friends. They swam, did boating and loved cruising around in their golf cart,” the family said in a statement.
“Keegan and Casey will be missed by so many and will continue to be loved by so many, including their family, friends and community.”
The Clontz family in a GoFundMe image— (GoFundMe)
Keegan, who would have turned 13 in January, was remembered as a “momma’s boy” who loved his younger sister Addie and spent much of his time fishing and enjoying outdoor activities with his father.
The family described him as a kind, caring, strong and brave boy who “gave really good hugs” and enjoyed playing football, hunting, fishing and riding his mini bike.
Casey, meanwhile, was remembered as a loving husband of 14 years to his childhood sweetheart and devoted father to Keegan and Addie, 10.
He worked for Peoples Gas – the same provider which confirmed it was checking for gas leaks in the area in the wake of the blast.
The tragic revelation of Casey’s final moments came to light as the death toll from the horror explosion climbed to six on Wednesday, as homeowner Paul Oravitz, 56, succumbed to his injuries.
Oravitz had been upstairs in the home with his wife Heather – who was Plum’s community development director – at the time of the explosion.
Meanwhile, Casey, Keegan, local resident Kevin Sebunia, 55 and Plum Borough Manager Michael Thomas, 57, were all in the basement.
Oravitz was the only victim to make it out of the building alive with the other five victims’ bodies pulled from the rubble.
The ruins of the home destroyed in an explosion in Plum— (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
But the 56-year-old had suffered severe burns to most of his body and he died in a Pittsburgh hospital four days later.
The cause of the explosion still remains under investigation by the Allegheny County fire marshal’s office.
However, officials confirmed that the Oravitzs were having issues with their hot water tank at the time.
The housing development is located on abandoned mine land surrounded by shallow oil and gas wells, some of which have been abandoned.
Two wells that are still producing gas are within about 1000 feet (305 meters) of the home that exploded and a pipeline runs behind the development, but none of those structures have been identified as having been involved in the blast.
Michael Huwar, president of Peoples Gas, has said official checks by the company indicated that “our system was operating as designed.”
A company spokesperson said Wednesday that it had completed additional system testing with the Fire Marshal’s office and the state Public Utility Commission, meaning it can now begin restoring gas service.
Company technicians will be going door to door to conduct a safety check and relight customers’ appliances, the spokesperson said.
A county spokesperson had said Tuesday that electrical service was restored by Sunday afternoon to all homes other than the three that were destroyed, and gas service had been restored to all homes except the loop where the blast occurred and two spur roads.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
