Four Children, 1 Adult Killed In Pottstown Home Explosion Identified

Pottstown PA

27 May, 2022

12:54 PM

Description

Update - Friday 7:45 p.m. Editor's Note: This story has been updated to reflect the identities of the victims of the home explosion. POTTSTOWN, PA — Five people have now been confirmed dead after a house exploded in Pottstown on Thursday night, officials said. Two other individuals are being treated for unspecified injuries at local medical centers. An investigation into the cause of the incident remains ongoing. The announcement on the death toll was made outside of Pottstown Borough Hall. Pottstown Borough Manager Justin Keller said that one of the victims who had been transported to the hospital was in critical but stable condition, while the other is currently in surgery for unknown injuries. Keller said "everyone has been accounted for," even though officials had earlier reported that it was believed there may have been two missing individuals following the incident. On Friday evening, officials released the identities of the victims of the blast, which included four children and one adult. They are: Francine White, 67; Alana Wood, 13; Jeremiah White, 12; Nehemiah White, 10; and Tristan White, 8. The injured are Eugene White, 44, and Kristina Matuzsan, 32. The identities of the victims were reported by 6 ABC in a story Friday evening. Patch had been reporting on the story Friday as officials work to investigate the cause of the deadly incident. Local news reports said that local emergency responders said the scene had been slow to process partly because of federal ATF agents' involvement. The cause of the house explosion remains under investigation. Here is our previous coverage. Below is what Patch reported earlier in the day about the house explosion: Keller, the borough manager, was joined at a Friday afternoon news conference by borough fire and police officials. He said, "right now we're unable to provide additional information about the victims as the family notification process is still ongoing. Additional information will be provided by the police department and the coroner's office as soon as it becomes available." Meanwhile, the Pottstown Police Department posted to Facebook that they have received an "overwhelming response from organizations and people looking to help," but at this time, "we do not need any further assistance with displaced families, or help otherwise. "Please avoid the area of the blast as we are working with multiple agencies to investigate and clear the area," the police department posted. "Thank you for all your support, prayers for victims and families, and for your offers to assist." Borough officials also said that federal agencies would likely be involved in the investigation. This is a breaking news story and Patch will continue to bring you information as it becomes available.