At Least 4 Dead, 2 Injured in Pottstown, Pennsylvania Home Explosion

Four people are dead and at least 2 others are injured after a home exploded in Pottstown, Pennsylvania on Thursday evening around 8 p.m. Authorities are in the process of determining what caused the explosion that leveled one residence and damaged several others in addition to the tragic human toll. Neighbors describe hearing a “loud blast” or an “explosion” as if a bomb went off. The names of the victims in this unthinkable tragedy have not yet been released.

While the cause of the explosion is unknown in the wake of this catastrophe, the descriptions from eyewitnesses are consistent with a natural gas explosion. If this explosion is, in fact, the result of a natural gas leak or defect in a natural gas system, this event would mark yet another preventable disaster. Natural gas explosions, sadly, have become an all-too-common part of everyday life across this nation.

Liz Bailey, a Pottstown native and former attorney at the law firm of Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky, P.C., had this to say about Thursday’s disaster:

I am heartbroken over tragic loss of life in my hometown. This explosion occurred less than a mile and a half from my childhood home.  As we learn what caused this explosion in the coming days, we must commit to doing whatever we can to make sure that this never happens again.

Bob Mongeluzzi, Drew Duffy, and Mike Budner, of the law firm Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky, P.C., have handled far too many fatal natural gas explosion cases. Unfortunately, these explosions tend to occur while people are in their own homes at their most vulnerable state. All too often, these explosions are the result of defectively designed or manufactured natural gas systems and equipment or negligence on the part of those tasked with ensuring that these ultrahazardous materials are transported and delivered in a safe manner. The most critical thing to do at this point is to secure the site and ensure that there is not additional threat to human life before doing a forensic analysis to determine what went wrong and how to prevent such devastation in the future. Attorneys Mongeluzzi, Duffy, and Budner are standing by and available to comment as this tragic situation develops.