‘Inseparable’ Father and Son, 12, ID’d as Victims of Pittsburgh-Area House Explosion That Killed 5

A father and son have been identified by family members as two of the victims of a home explosion outside Pittsburgh that destroyed three structures and killed five people. 

Casey Clontz, 38, and his son Keegan Clontz, 12 both perished in the explosion in Plum, Pennsylvania, according to the wife and mother of the victims, reported Tribune Live. 

They lived four houses down from the house that exploded but were visiting that home at the time of the blast, said the newspaper, which described them as "darn-near inseparable."

The family didn’t disclose why the father and son were there, but said Casey was friendly and frequently visited with neighbors. 

“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 family said in a statement to the outlet.

"Casey is someone who always made people laugh,” the family said. He was employed by Peoples Gas.

He was a football and gymnastics dad “through and through,” even doing handstands with this 10-year old daughter, who survived, along with his wife, the outlet reported. 

His son Keegan was described as “gentle but strong and brave.” 

“He was his dad’s shadow but 1000% his momma’s boy." Keegan was looking forward to starting middle school, the family said.

A GoFundMe page for the victims has raised over $30,000.

Authorities said the bodies of four adults and one adolescent were recovered after the blast Saturday morning in Plum, a suburb of Pittsburgh. 

The owners of the property were listed as Paul D. and Heather L. Oravitz, according to county records. The 2,000 square foot home had an estimated value of $385,000, according to real estate website Red Fin.

Crews from at least 18 fire departments worked to douse the flames with the help of water tankers from Allegheny and Westmoreland counties.

Three people were taken to hospitals, two were released while one remained in critical condition, said Steve Imbarlina, deputy director of fire and emergency services for Allegheny County. 

County spokesperson Amie Downs said emergency responders reported people trapped under debris.  

Officials have not officially identified any of the victims nor what caused the explosion, but warned that the investigation would be a “slow and long process” that would include a lot of forensic testing and could last “months if not years,” Imbarlina said. 

Michael Huwar, president of Peoples Gas, said the company’s checks for gas leaks underground and in the air as well as the consistent pressure verified at regulation stations indicates that “our system was operating as designed.”

Gas and electric service was shut off as a precaution, and officials said Sunday a plan was in place to begin restoring service with electric power expected to be returned to all but a few residences, officials said.

Surveillance video taken from a neighboring home showed the moment the impact erupted and smashed the home into small pieces amid a burst of fire.

"This isn’t the first time that this has happened in Plum," Neighbor Justin Newman told WRAL. "We need answers. We need to know why this is happening. It's sad that people lost their lives and we don’t have answers. We need answers for these families we need answers for this community."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.