4 Dead, 2 Injured, 2 Missing, 60 Displaced in Pottstown House Explosion Thursday Night

UPDATE: May 28, 9:54 a.m. - A townhome explosion at Hale Street and Butler Avenue in Pottstown Borough Thursday night claimed the lives of four members of the White family, three of them between the ages of 8 and 12: Francine White, 67; Jeremiah White, 12; Nehemiah White, 10, and Tristan White, 8. Eugene White, 44, remains in critical condition at a regional trauma center, per a press released released Friday afternoon by Pottstown Borough Police.

Alana Wood, 13, was also killed in the explosion at 453 Hale Street, which also destroyed the townhome attached to it at 455 Hale Street.

Kristina Matuzsan, 32, remains in critical condition at an area trauma center, police said.

Evan Brandt of The Mercury reported that all seven occupants of 453 Hale Street have been accounted for. According to Montgomery County property records, Eugene White purchased the townhome last year.

Police said the investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of the blast and will continue for some time. The Philadelphia Arson and Explosive Team (ATF), Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshal’s Office, Pottstown Fire Department are assisting police in the investigation.

According to The Mercury, The American Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania and the NAACP Pottstown chapter have stepped up to help those displaced in the explosion, with the former providing nine families totaling 25 people with shelter, food, personal care items, and emotional support, and the latter provided breakfast and lunch for those who have sought refuge at Pottstown Senior High School.

Police told The Mercury that they had not yet started to investigate 911 records and other reports of gas odor. According to The Mercury, residents reported a constant smell of natural gas in the area for months.

The former homeowner of 455 Hale Street, Ryan Nagel, of Boyertown, said he reported gas odors on repeated occasions.

“I am in tears. We tried the whole time we lived there to let people know about the smells of gas but no one listened,” wrote Nagel on his Facebook page Thursday night. “Please pray for the family lost.”

Original story follows...

Pottstown Borough Manager Justin Keller confirmed the fatalities, but did not release the names, during a late-night press conference. A second press conference is scheduled for noon Friday.

According to Evan Brandt of The Mercury, debris is strewn across the neighborhood, located near Butler Avenue. Police taped off Hale Street between West and May streets, per the report.

The blast was felt four miles away in Gilbertsville and Pennsburg, according to user posts on North Penn Now’s Facebook page. Residents mere blocks away from the blast could feel their homes shake.

The properties affected, according to aerial photography by Bradley Long on 6abc.com and Google Maps, are attached townhomes at 453 and 455 Hale Street, at the corner of Butler Avenue. Montgomery County property records show 453 Hale Street has natural gas heat and 455 Hale Street has electric heat.

According to Montgomery County property records, 453 Hale Street is owned by Eugene White and 455 Hale Street is owned by Ryan and Amber Nagel. However, county ownership records have not been properly updated to show that the Nagels are no longer owners: Ryan Nagel wrote on Facebook they no longer reside there.

“I am in tears. We tried the whole time we lived there to let people know about the smells of gas but no one listened,” wrote Nagel on his Facebook page. “Please pray for the family lost.”

Residents replied on North Penn Now’s Facebook post of the incident that they had heard police and fire reports of a propane leak, but it has not been confirmed publicly by authorities.

There was no smell of gas, no flames, and no smoke, according to Brandt’s Twitter feed.

According to WGAL News 8, Pottstown Borough Police were dispatched at 8:07 p.m. to the area of Butler Avenue and Washington Street after residents heard a loud blast. A building fire was reported to Montgomery County emergency dispatch at 8:08 p.m., per Montgomery County WebCAD Active Incidents.

About 60 people have been displaced from their homes, per WGAL.

Pottstown Senior High School is the meeting point for affected residents in need of assistance, per WGAL. All Pottstown Schools are closed Friday, according to its Twitter account.

Emergency crews were still responding to the scene at 2:44 a.m. Friday, according to Montgomery County WebCAD Active Incidents.

Fire and EMS companies assisting at the scene include Pottstown Fire Department, Upper Gwynedd Fire Department, North Penn Good will Service, La Mott Fire Company, Horsham Fire Company, Hatfield Fire Company, Collegeville Fire Company, New Hanover Township Fire Rescue, Harmonville Fire Company, Jefferson Fire Company, Limerick Fire Department, Sanatoga Fire Company, Ringing Hill Fire Company, Pennsburg Fire Company, Telford Fire Company, Trappe Fire Company, Upper Pottsgrove Fire Company, Fort Washington Fire Company, Black Rock Volunteer Fire Company, and Oreland Fire Company, according to Montgomery County WebCAD Active Incidents.

The ATF, state police and the Red Cross of southeastern Pennsylvania were also at the scene, as well as State Representatives Tim Hennessey and Joe Ciresi, according to The Mercury. The Red Cross has set up a shelter and is providing emotional and financial support, according to spokesperson Alana Mauger.

Residents reported to Brandt what they heard during the explosion.

“I just heard this big bang, and I came out and there was nothing but a column of smoke where those houses were and a 30-foot hole in the ground,” said Michael Barnett, who lives at Hale and West streets.

Dorothy Auman was ironically watching “Chicago Fire” in her house five houses down from the explosion when she heard the noise and looked out her window.

“Debris was flying as far as you could see,” she told Brandt.

Tandra Rambert was the last house standing next to the explosion, Brandt tweeted. She was home and her ears were still ringing Thursday night. Brandt also found cars with cracked windshields four doors down from the scene of the explosion.

See also: 

Police Release ID of Pedestrian Fatally Struck by Vehicle on Bethlehem Pike, Investigation Ongoing

Lansdale Police: 2-Car Accident Topples Traffic Light on Hancock St.

Pedestrian Struck, Killed on Bethlehem Pike Friday Night in Hatfield Township

Photos: Vehicle Crash Forces Closure of North Broad Street in Lansdale Monday Morning

Chalfont Flight Instructor, Philly Recruiting Firm President ID’d as Victims in Fatal Bucks County Plane Crash