Owners of home that exploded and killed five people were having issues with their hot water tank

The owners of the home that blew up recently were having problems with a 'hot water tank', it's been revealed.

An investigation has been launched after a property in Plum, just outside Pittsburgh, exploded.

In a statement to its Facebook page, Allegheny County confirmed that the devastating incident left five people dead and damaged a number of other houses in the area.

A spokesperson said: "At approximately 10:22 AM, County 9-1-1 received numerous calls from the Rustic Ridge Drive and Brookside Drive area in Plum Borough reporting a house explosion, several houses on fire and damaged, and reports that individuals may have been in the impacted homes.

"First responders from the police and fire department arrived on scene and reported that there were people trapped under debris and that it appeared as if one house had exploded, and two others were engulfed in fire.

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"Water tankers responded from both Allegheny and Westmoreland counties along with 18 different fire departments. The county's Emergency Management and Fire Marshals also responded to the scene.

"The explosion occurred at 141 Rustic Ridge Drive. A total of three structures were destroyed and at least a dozen more damaged in some way."

Heather Oravitz, 51, and Plum Borough Manager Michael Thomas, 57, as well as Kevin Sebunia, 55, Casey Clontz, 38, and Clontz’s 12-year-old son, Keegan, were named as the victims.

Ms Oravitz’s husband, Paul, suffered severe burns to his body and remains in a critical condition in hospital. However, two other people injured in the blast have since been released.

And now, the Allegheny County fire marshal’s office has said that the owners of the home were experiencing some issues prior to the explosion.

A spokesperson for the marshal's office revealed there were problems with the property's water tank.

"The Fire Marshal’s Office can confirm that it is aware that the homeowners at 141 Rustic Ridge Drive were having hot water tank issues," they said.

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"The tank was located in the basement of the home."

The marshal's office, it was said, will not continue to 'investigate that information along with any and all other possibilities during their processes that may explain what occurred'.

Rafal Kolankowski, who lives nearby, said the explosion blew his windows out.

He said: “It’s just tragic, I mean, it looks like a war zone — it looks like a bomb hit our neighborhood, and it’s just unfortunate.

"I was just with some of the neighbors yesterday, right, and now this happens."

Anyone impacted by the blast and needs support has been directed to the county's helpline on 1-800-985-5990 or they can instead text "TalkWithUs" to 66746