It's back to 2 dead and 5 unaccounted for per the news conference that just ended.. The earlier (mis)information came from PEMA, which is pretty concerning that the state and local officials aren't communicating very well.

That information has been corrected at a news conference. 2 dead, 5 still unaccounted for. Supposedly the earlier information came from PEMA. It's a bit concerning that the state is giving out information that has to be corrected by local officials.

At least 2 dead and 9 unaccounted for at this time. I kinda of doubt this was employer negligence, but you never know. All signs are pointing to a natural gas explosion. Could have been a freak thing or an accident that caused the leak/explosion.

It's really hard to say this early if corners were cut. All signs point to a natural gas explosion. Any number of things could have happened to cause a leak and explosion.

Early reports said that there were flames coming up thru cracks in the pavement prior to the natural gas supply being secured. So everything seems to be pointing to a natural gas explosion at this time.

Hunters need to be able to positively identify their target before shooting, he added. “It’s a fundamental rule of hunting,” Lau said.

If you're going to quote someone, don't try to cut it up to make it say something that they didn't. The Game Commission is in no way saying that this is good thing. But the incident didn't violate any game laws. So there isn't anything for the Game Commission to do. He was asked what can be done to prevent this like this in the future. And he answered that for the general public and for hunters. There were a lot of mistakes made by multiple people that everyone can learn from.

I would say at least for when deer season is open. Most of the season is archery, but during this time there are various other seasons open that are firearms seasons. That's when you are the most likely to encounter hunters. It usually starts on the 1st Saturday of October, but sometimes it is the last Saturday of September depending how the calendar falls. It runs through the middle of January, usually ending on MLK Jr day. Some areas like Berks, Chester, and down to Philly, as well as Allegheny county, go from mid September to the end of January. The other time would be from mid April through May. That is spring turkey season. Turkey hunting is done mostly by calling, so if you hear a turkey, there is a decent chance that it is a hunter, or there is a hunter nearby. Staying away from that area is a good idea if you can.

In my opinion it is never a bad thing to be seen, regardless of if hunting is going on. And most of the time, other than when required, what you wear doesn't have to be orange. Bright and non-natural colors are great. You really want to avoid brown, black, and other dark or earthy shades. And if you can avoid it, don't walk right into an area that you know people are hunting. As seen in the article, it can end badly.

But most don't know that. It's really not public knowledge. It's a very short statement in the hunting and trapping digest. And if they aren't hunters, how would they see that? It should be on the signs at game lands, but does anyone actually read the rules? And if they do read it, are they going to leave because they don't have orange with them? I doubt it. Plus that rule is only for Nov 15th to Dec 15th. The are lots of firearms seasons outside of those dates. I know the idea for a user fee for game lands got rejected, but there needs to be some way to communicate what should be expected of people on game lands who are non hunters. Maybe a big qr code at trail heads with reminders to wear orange, or a message that there may be people hunting with guns on that particular day? Something needs changed because people aren't getting any smarter and it's just a matter of time before bad things happen.

It's also staggering how many hunting areas are used for recreational (non hunting) activities. With how some people are, it's kind of surprising that there aren't more issues. State game lands are bought and maintained by money from hunting only. But they get used for lots of different things. Oftentimes non hunters have no clue that hunting is happening. It's amazing with how many people hike on game lands in brown and black clothing that people don't get shot at by irresponsible hunters. If you are on game lands check the hunting seasons and wear orange or other bright colored clothing.