Community members gathered Wednesday night, one month after an explosion rocked their Port Richmond neighborhood. They say they still don’t know what caused the blast, that leveled two homes, and damaged dozens of others.
“The neighbors are looking for answers as to why it happened, how it happened, who’s to blame,” Ken Paul said.
Paul is a member of the Port Richmond on Patrol & Civic Association, also known as PROPAC. PROPAC holds meetings monthly, but this month their conversation centered around one topic: the explosion and recovery.
“They will not give us any answers, unfortunately,” explained Paul. “And this is what the people are complaining about…. they’re kinda left high and dry. They’re asking for answers and they’re not getting any. All they’re getting is the runaround.”
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Paul said multiple utility companies have provided updates on their investigation, but they all claim their systems were in good working condition. The fire marshal is still investigating.
NBC10 reached out to the fire department, as well as several utility companies, for comment. So far, they haven’t responded.
As if neighbors weren’t dealing with enough, they claim people are breaking into their damaged homes.
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“We had squatters actually break into one of the homes now and set up shop in there,” Paul said. “The owners aren’t living in there because of the damage, but yet somebody else went and broke into the home and started living there.”
Paul said police arrested two people for the break-ins Tuesday night. Neighbors were told police will patrol their area to prevent it from happening again.
NBC10 reached out to the 24th District police to learn more about the allegations, but had not received a response.
“It’s like you’re kicking somebody that’s down,” Paul said. “It wasn’t bad enough they had an explosion, now you got people breaking into your home and living in it while you’re not there, cause you don’t feel safe living there. I mean it just never stops.”
PROPAC and other organizations raised $8,000 in cash and checks and $1,500 in gift cards at a fundraiser two weeks after the explosion. They hope to collect more money to help people, many uninsured, whose homes were damaged in the explosion.
Five people were injured when an explosion rocked the 3500 block of Miller Street around 3 a.m. on Jan. 1. Two homes were destroyed, while a third was torn down afterward.
PROPAC said 20 to 25 people remained displaced one month later. They said without a cause, insurance companies haven’t responded, leaving them in limbo.
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