Four people were displaced and a Sewickley dentist office closed Wednesday after a boiler exploded.
Borough zoning/building code officer Joe Motznik deemed the two-story building, at 522 Beaver St., unsafe. He posted notices in front and back of the property alerting people that occupancy is prohibited until further notice.
The determination comes after firefighters and police responded to an explosion and fire in the basement shortly before 9:45 that morning. No injuries were reported.
Motznik referred questions to Fire Chief Shayne Quinn, who said the cause of the explosion remains under investigation. Allegheny County Fire Marshal’s Office is also investigating, along with the property owner’s insurance company.
Quinn said it was unclear if there was a gas leak or a problem with pressure in the boiler system. All utilities have since been shutoff.
The dentist office is on the first floor and there are apartments on the second floor. Two people live in each of the two units.
Quinn said the tenants are staying elsewhere until repairs can be made.
The building is owned by Dr. John Paul Piccolo, DMD. However, the practice is run by Dr. Mark Marshall.
Marshall, reached briefly Thursday afternoon, said he has been very busy contacting patients and was uncertain when the building would reopen. A notice was also posted on the dentist’s website.
“In order for us to assure the building is safe to occupy, we will be having the building inspected. For now we are temporarily closed but are working on means to see our patients,” the post read in part.
Sewickley Police Chief Dave Mazza said he does not suspect anything criminal occurred at the property, and noted the state Department of Labor and Industry was looking in to the incident.
Workers at Nail Inc., a salon next to the dentist office, said no one was at the business at the time of the explosion.
