Plum holds first council meeting since house explosion killed 6, including 2 borough officials

David Soboslay has been named the interim manager of Plum, replacing Michael Thomas, who was one of the six people killed in the Rustic Ridge house explosion Aug. 12.

Plum Council met Wednesday night for the first time since the explosion. Its regular August meeting, scheduled for Aug. 14, was canceled along with all other borough events because of the tragedy.

Council also named Soboslay as the borough’s interim zoning officer, replacing Heather Oravitz.

Thomas and Oravitz, Plum’s community development director, were neighbors on Rustic Ridge Drive. Thomas was in the Oravitz home when it exploded. Also killed were Oravitz’s husband, Paul, and neighbors Kevin Sebunia and father and son, Casey and Keegan Clontz.

The cause of the explosion remains under investigation. The Oravitzes were said to have been having problems with a hot water tank.

Soboslay has been Plum’s assistant manager since 2015. He began his career as an assistant manager in Dormont in 1993, followed by becoming the first township manager of Allegheny Township in 2002. In 2008, he went to work for Delta Development Group, a consulting group specializing in community planning and economic development.

A Squirrel Hill native, Soboslay moved to Plum in 1998. He has a bachelor’s degree in American studies from the University of Dayton and a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Pittsburgh.

Services for Thomas, including a procession through the borough, were held Wednesday.

Rustic Ridge update

During council’s meeting, Holiday Park fire Chief Jim Sims, the borough’s emergency management coordinator, reported that Peoples natural gas crews are conducting safety checks of homes in Rustic Ridge out of caution so that residents there feel safe.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Sims said, Peoples had completed 109 home safety inspections, almost 48% of the neighborhood. He said two minor leaks were found at gas meters and fixed. No service leaks have been found, Sims said.

One individual would not allow an inspector into their home.

Two appliances, a range and a dryer, were red tagged and shut off at the appliances in the houses.

Sims said Peoples is asking anybody who lives in Rustic Ridge who received a card on their door that the gas company was there to call the number given so they can return and conduct the inspection. Inspectors can come in the evening, but residents must be present.

Sims emphasized that residents should call 911 if their carbon monoxide or smoke detectors go off, or if they smell an odor in their home.

“It’s important that you call 911 if you feel there’s something wrong in your house,” he said.

Last week, Sims said a man thought gas was in his home; he called the fire department, which found out it was sewer gas.

“Call the fire department. We’re here. You’re not bothering us. You’re not bothering any of us to come out,” he said. “I don’t care if it’s 2 in the afternoon or 2 o’clock in the morning. We’re here to help you. We’re here to serve you.”

Sims thanked the outpouring of support that has come from the community on Aug. 12 and since the explosion.

“There is not a day that goes by that someone doesn’t stop by with a dozen donuts from some place, or a plate of homemade cookies, or a dish of homemade cupcakes,” he said. “The pure outpouring of support that we have received. … It’s just amazing to see what this community is all about.”

Flowers expressing sympathy after the Rustic Ridge house explosion are displayed in the lobby of Plum's municipal center Wednesday night. pic.twitter.com/HRIqW4iDtr

— Brian Rittmeyer (@BCRittmeyer) August 24, 2023

Mayor Harry Schlegel encouraged Plum residents to donate to the community’s fire departments, an investment he said has the benefit of lower insurance rates.

“The tragedy that happened here demonstrates what those departments do,” he said.