PLUM, Pa. -- A broken gas line is to blame for a house explosion that killed one person and badly injured a 4-year-old girl in the Holiday Park section of Plum.

Fire Chief Larry Glass said the line was "already deteriorated" before Wednesday afternoon's explosion, which blew one house to pieces on Mardi Gras Drive and left nearby homes covered with debris.

"It was determined last night from Dominion Peoples," said Glass. "They had found a cracked gas line. It filled the basement up with natural gas. At this time, they are fixing the fractured line."

"Post-accident bar hole testing identified significant amounts of gas in the ground in the vicinity of the pipelines," said the National Transportation Safety Board, which is joining the investigation because it has responsibility for the nation's pipelines and because this case involves a fatality.

Richard Leith, 64, was flown to UPMC Mercy Hospital after the blast and pronounced dead later in the afternoon.

Meanwhile, Gianna Pettinato is in critical condition. She is being treated for a broken leg and burns at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.

Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato toured the site early Thursday and met with residents.

"It's pretty devastating, and it's probably a blessing that there weren't more people hurt when you see the damage here," Onorato said.

Early responders to the scene in the 100 block of Mardi Gras, near Havana Drive, said the young girl was blown out of the house. (Google Map)

• Slideshow: Plum House Explosion Pictures

Firefighters had to extinguish a series of small, scattered fires on the ground near the home, which was reduced to pieces.

WTAE Channel 4 Action News talked with a woman who said she picked up the girl and held her until paramedics arrived. She said the child was alert but seemed to be in shock and was calling out her grandfather's name.

"Sitting amidst all this debris," said neighbor Lynn Celia. "Just sitting there with her eyes wide open like she was in a state of shock. And I scooped her up. She told me she was sitting on the couch. It blew her out of the wall."

"I ran outside to see what happened, and there was debris falling out of the sky," said neighbor Dave Heiser. "It was incredible."

Experts said that homeowners should safeguard their home against a natural gas leak. Furnaces should be examined at least once a year, and any homeowner who notices his or her yard developing discolored lines or streaks should have their gas lines checked.

Experts said that if standing water begins to bubble in a yard, it could indicate trouble.

Lowe's employees in Monroeville said the store has had quite a run on natural gas detectors since the explosion and has had to order more.

A specific model, which also detects carbon monoxide, sells for about $60, officials said.

Officials said that if a detector goes off and a smell of rotten eggs is present, a person should leave the house instantly and should touch as few things as possible.

Eight homes are still without gas, which is down from 42 homes without gas right after the explosion.

Several people called Channel 4 Action News to say that the explosion could be heard and felt in nearby homes and offices.

One person e-mailed this note to thepittsburghchannel.com:

"I work in Holiday Park and everyone in the office felt and heard this big bang. We thought an overhead A/C unit blew up. We all went outside and after a couple of minutes all of this pink insulation and other debris comes floating through the air from a northeastern direction. After another couple of minutes, we see the plume of black smoke rising from over the next hill ridge."

Another e-mailer said, "We're probably a little over a mile away on Logans Ferry Road and it shook our house too."

And someone else e-mailed to say, "I live about 6 miles away, off Route 380, and I heard the explosion while I was inside my home. That is how loud it was."

In all, 15 neighboring homes sustained damage, but no other injuries were reported.

Wooden boards landed on the roof of one house after the blast. Other rubble was scattered throughout yards and in the street.

Some homes were evacuated, and those residents were sent to nearby Holiday Park Elementary School. The Red Cross was called to assist them. Since then, some residents are being helped back into their homes.

Two or three of the 15 homes damaged may not be habitable after utilities are restored, Emergency Management Director Bob Full said.

Dominion Peoples said it is safe, however, for people to use gas.

One family who lived next door to the house that exploded returned to their home on Thursday to search for their cat.

Patty Eicheldinger said after a few minutes of searching, the family found Stimpy safe and sound, hiding under a bed.

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Plum Explosion Not First In Western Pa. For Dominion Peoples

Investigators from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission were combing through the debris on Thursday, looking for clues to Wednesday's explosion.

They did the same thing in Hempfield Township and Industry, Beaver County, in 2000 when two houses exploded on the same day.

In April 2003, after investigating the explosions, the PUC fined Dominion Peoples Gas $125,000.

In June 2007, following a separate investigation, the PUC again cited Dominion Peoples, this time for gas line safety violations. Investigators found unsafe conditions at 33 of 111 service line connections.

The company was fined $50,000.

PUC Chairman Wendell Holland said, "These allegations regarding the safety and management of the Peoples system are extremely troubling."

Following that case, a Dominion Peoples representative said the company improved its safety standards.

"We are following PUC guidelines to a letter," said Elmore Lockley of Dominion.

But a neighbor across the street from the house that exploded in Plum was outraged when Team 4 told him about the company's record.

"There needs to be some stronger action taken when a man is killed and a little girl hurt badly," said neighbor Richard Berrish. "No excuses for that. None."

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