CLAIRTON, Pa. — A nearby surveillance video captured the exact moment when a Clairton home went up in flames. In the video, the night sky is dark, and then in the distance, there is bright light and a plume of smoke and flames just beyond the trees.
The home that imploded was Ben Livingston’s.
“There was a loud bang, the lights went out, and the ceiling fell on us. If it weren’t for her [Stephanie], I would have been killed she got me out,” Livingston, said.
>> Apartment explodes in Clairton, residents smelled gas odor beforehand
He and his longtime girlfriend, Stephanie, said they were sitting in the living room the football game had just ended the two said they heard a loud boom before everything went black.
“I couldn’t see him, but I told him to follow the sound of my voice. We followed the snow; I could see that because by this point the door in the windows were blown off the house,” said Stephanie McMurray.
Livingston said McMurray led him out from underneath the rubble and debris to safety.
We asked the couple if they had any warning that something like this would happen; had they noticed anything strange? They both said yes, neighbors also told Channel 11 News they smelled gas earlier in the week.
“When I came out to my car yesterday morning, about nine o’clock in the morning, to take the kids to school, I smelled gas, literally the entire street smelled like gas,” said D’ Nautica Davis, a nearby neighbor.
People’s Gas said in a statement quote:
The company is on site and continues to conduct safety checks throughout the area. At this time, crews have not detected the presence of natural gas in the air or soil nearby. We will continue to be on-site and perform testing at the direction of the investigating authorities.
Additionally, the company has confirmed the appropriate level of odorant in the natural gas delivery system. As in all cases, if you smell gas, please leave the area, then call Peoples at 1-800-400-4271 or call 911 immediately.
We can confirm that Peoples received reports of a possible odor of gas in the area on Thursday, November 21. The company dispatched a technician to investigate, and it was determined the source of the odor was not coming from the People’s system. Peoples will continue to work with authorities to investigate the cause of the incident at Miles Avenue in Clairton.
But Livingston said he had reported the smell as early as Tuesday.
“I called the landlord, I called the gas company, they did nothing. The gas smell was here, I mean, it was toxic,” Livingston, said.
The entire row of homes now has orange notices on their doors indicating that it is unsafe to live or even be inside these units.
The family has started a GoFundMe, to donate, please click here.
On 11 News at 5, see the new video and learn how the gas company is responding.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
©2024 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/XCUXZC2XYZHCRGNNGKFEX6U3LQ.png)
