A massive explosion obliterated a home in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, last week, killing five people — four children and an adult — and leaving the tight-knit community in shock.
The explosion left a crater filled with gnarled metal and splintered lumber where a home once stood and many questions remain unanswered. Here’s what we know and don’t know.
What happened?
At around 8 p.m. Thursday, an explosion destroyed two houses and damaged at least six other houses.
Neighbors described a thundering boom and said it felt like a bomb had gone off.
Francine White, 67; Alana Wood, 13; Jeremiah White, 12; Nehemiah White, 10; and Tristan White, 8, were killed in the explosion, Pottstown police said Friday.
Eugene White, 44, and Kristina Matuzsan, 32 — who were married — were injured and remain in critical condition.
The children’s father, Eugene White, grew up in the Nicetown neighborhood of Philadelphia with his mother, Francine; attended Simon Gratz High School; and met Matuzsan about 10 years ago, according to his social media posts.
Matuzsan grew up in Pitman, Gloucester County. They were married in 2019 and lived in Philadelphia’s Crescentville neighborhood before moving to Pottstown last year.
The family lived in the home they bought a year ago on the 400 block of Hale Street in the Montgomery County borough, officials said. The adjoining twin home was vacant.
The explosion sent debris flying as far away as a block from the house, covering much of the neighborhood in insulation material.
What caused the explosion?
As of Tuesday morning, the source and origin point of the explosion had not been released.
Many in the area raised questions about the possibility of a gas leak. Four current or former residents — including former residents of the adjoining twin unit of the house that exploded — said the neighborhood had frequently smelled gas in the past and that they had sometimes called inspectors to the area.
What is the condition of the injured residents?
As of Tuesday morning, officials had not released updates on the condition of White and Matuzsan. A man who identified himself as Michael Matuzsan, the father of Kristina Matuzsan, visited the site on Saturday and was distraught over what had happened.
“Kristina was so happy to finally buy a house and get out of the city,” he said to neighbors who had gathered Saturday.
A neighbor said that the couple had moved to Pottstown to escape “Philly drama,” but did not know what the problems were.
