'We're so lucky': Family forced from home after Plum explosion grateful to be alive

Aug. 13—Jeremy Rogers arrived back in his Rustic Ridge Estates neighborhood Sunday morning, unsure what he would find.

When he left Saturday, his neighbor's house was still smoldering, having been consumed hours earlier by a fire that quickly spread when a neighboring home exploded.

The Rogers family home, at 145 Rustic Ridge Drive, was the next in line before firefighters were able to control the blaze.

He pulled up in his family's minivan, stopped at the top of the hill, and began the trek with his wife, daughter and son to their boarded-up home.

He was able to get inside and survey the damage. It was immense, he said.

"It's going to be months," he said, referring to when they might be able to return permanently to their home. "We're grateful my in-laws are local. We have a place to stay."

He said, when standing inside his home, one can see through to the outside via large separations between roof and walls. The force of the blast shifted his house.

"A massive crack spans the entirety of the house," he said.

He offered a glimmer of optimism: "The foundation seems OK. I found one ceiling crack in our basement."

Rogers and his wife and kids dragged suitcases full of clothes up the hill through the middle of Rustic Ridge Drive, past emergency vehicles and police cruisers, to their minivan. The haul is enough to get by for now. A Plum Borough public works truck transported more items in its bed to assist the family.

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The family began packing up the minivan, carefully organizing the suitcases and hampers to fit everything.

"It's like we're going on vacation," Rogers' son said.

"Yeah, kinda," Rogers said, forcing a chuckle.

Rogers said he has been in touch with his homeowners insurance company, Erie Insurance. He said he expects an adjuster to come to the house soon.

"I'm confident we're OK," he said about whether insurance will cover the costs of repairing the damage. "Interestingly, we just changed our company. They're going to love us."

Rogers works for GBU Life as a supervisor, so he's familiar with the insurance process. He said the company already told him to take as much time as he needs before returning to work. His wife's company said the same.

Rogers' brief moment of levity earlier gave way later to the weight of the moment.

"We're lucky. We're still so lucky," he said, tears welling up. "There's a bunch of us who are dealing with stuff. There are people who really lost. The GoFundMe, (my family doesn't) want anything like that."

Rogers wasn't sure what was next, other than lunch for his kids and wife, who had already gotten back into the minivan.

"My daughter's birthday is next week," he said, wiping his eyes as he turned toward the driver's side door. "Will be 13. Kind of a big one."

Rob Amen is a Tribune-Review managing editor. You can contact Rob by email at ramen@triblive.com or via Twitter .