Elderly couple killed in house explosion identified

CRESCENT TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Two people were killed in a massive house explosion in Pennsylvania on Tuesday morning.

The explosion in Crescent Township in Allegheny County was felt and resulted in damage at properties several miles away, our sister station WPXI reported.

Updated 10:00 a.m. EDT March 13: The couple killed in Tuesday’s explosion has been identified.

WPXI reported that David and Hellen Mitchell were killed when their house exploded on Tuesday morning. David Mitchell was 89 years old while Helen Mitchell was 87.

David was 89 years old and Helen was 87. https://t.co/G8QArcYX12
— WPXI (@WPXI) March 13, 2024

“Devastated. You’ve known these people your whole lives since you were kids and knowing someone died this close in that manner is just devastating,” Billie Grey told WPXI. “They were a very loving couple. They would just do anything for anybody.”

The cause of the explosion is still under investigation.

Original report: County officials said a man and a woman were killed in the blast. They did not identify the victims.

A local gas company responded to the explosion site and determined that the property was not serviced by them. Instead, it had a private gas well. There was also propane on the property.

When fire crews arrived, they said a fire had been burning in the foundation of the home and in a neighboring hillside, which had been leveled by the blast, WPXI reported.

First responders said the scene is in a remote area and that people should stay away to allow crews to access the site.

Allegheny County Emergency Services is assisting first responders in Crescent Township following a house explosion on the 1400 block of Riverview Road. This remains an active incident. The scene is in a remote location and we’re asking everyone to avoid the area in order to allow… pic.twitter.com/58WZuuPDow
— Allegheny County (@Allegheny_Co) March 12, 2024