2 Plum officials among house explosion deaths, all 5 now identified

Plum Borough Manager Michael Thomas and Community Development Director Heather Oravitz were among the five people killed in a house explosion Saturday, Mayor Harry Schlegel confirmed Monday.

Thomas was 57. Oravitz was 51.

The other victims, all identified through their families, were Casey Clontz, 38, and his son, Keegan, 12, and Kevin Sebunia, 55.

Oravitz’s husband, Paul, remained hospitalized in critical condition with severe burns over most of his body, said Schlegel, who was out of town.

Schlegel said Paul Oravitz is in the burn unit at UPMC Mercy hospital in Pittsburgh.

Thomas’ wife, Jackie, and their 16-year-old daughter survived, Schlegel said.

The blast and fire destroyed three homes and damaged at least a dozen others on Rustic Ridge Drive in the Rustic Ridge neighborhood.

Michael Thomas had just recently taught his daughter how to drive a stick shift, Schlegel said.

“Michael was probably the best borough manager we had,” the mayor said. “He was a true professional, and I considered him a friend. He ran the borough and ran it well.”

Before being hired as Plum’s manager in 2005, Thomas worked in municipal government in Montgomery, Washington and Butler counties. He was an interim manager in Baldwin Borough.

He earned a master’s degree in public administration.

Schlegel said Michael Thomas had lived in Italy and spoke fluent Italian. He loved to cook and wanted to open a restaurant in his retirement.

“He was a really good cook, amazing,” Schlegel said.

Schlegel described Heather Oravitz as a sports nut who was especially enthusiastic about pickleball.

“She was a professional in her position. A lot of the builders didn’t like what she had to say. She followed the rules,” he said. “She called me ‘mayor.’ I appreciated that.”