Explosion levels home in suburban Lake County, leaving man dead: ‘It looked like a big torch burning'

The explosion on the quiet suburban street came out of nowhere, lighting up the evening sky, rocking the ground and sending debris flying over the heads of two boys playing basketball on a nearby driveway — knocking one of the boys over with its force.The two boys escaped injury, but an unidentified man was killed in the blast Tuesday night.Ulises Hernandez’s home surveillance video captured the moment the explosion two houses down nearly injured his son and a neighbor’s child.“It rocked the whole house,” Ulises Hernandez told the Chicago Sun-Times. He and his wife raced outside to make sure the children were OK, then Hernandez considered entering the burning house to check if anyone was inside.“Fire was coming out the windows,” he said. “There was no way to get in there.”The body of the man was found dead in the rubble of the home that had been “completely leveled” by the blast at 8:30 p.m. in an unincorporated area near Lake Zurich, according to Lake County Sheriff spokesman Christopher Covelli.The identify of the man remained unconfirmed Wednesday pending DNA testing or dental examination, the Lake County coroner’s office said. An autopsy conducted the same day found he had “injuries consistent with inhalation of products of combustion,” the coroner’s office said. Toxicology results, including carbon monoxide testing, remained pending.The cause of the blast, in the 23500 block of North Overhill Road, was still under investigation, Covelli said. Hernandez immediately thought the explosion was caused by natural gas.But fire officials were still unsure of the cause Wednesday afternoon, as a team of investigators dug through the rubble looking for clues. The investigation could take days, said David Pilgard, chief of the Lake Zurich fire department.“They’re going through the tedious process of trying to locate anything in the house — as they sift through room by room — something that can cause ignition or have a fire,” Pilgard said.Neighbors described mistaking the blast for thunder or a falling tree.“It felt like a car had run into my house,” said Will Juarez, who lives about seven houses away. He ran outside and saw the children running for cover. The fire was already burning intensely.The explosion happened Tuesday night in unincorporated Lake County, according to sheriff’s department officials.Provided by James Dunne“It looked like a big torch burning,” he said.The fire response was hampered for hours by a gas shutoff valve that was damaged in the explosion, Pilgard said. Nicor Gas had to dig near the street to close a gas line that had been fueling another blaze near the house, he said. But by the time that blaze was controlled, sometime around midnight, fire crews had already begun their investigation at the home, he said.Neighbors said the leveled home was occupied by a retired 77-year-old man who had lived there for decades. Neighbors said he was a kind man who lived alone and kept to himself.Occasionally, the man would walk over mail that was delivered to the wrong address, Hernandez said. “A nice guy,” Hernandez said.Neighbors watch as a house burns following an explosion Tuesday evening in unincorporated Lake Zurich.Provided by Janine BurnsJuarez said the man would buy candy bars and coupon books that his kids were selling door-to-door through a school program.“He’d say come back next year,” Juarez said.Another neighbor said the home’s yard had become overgrown with trees and bushes.Janine Burns was walking her dog earlier in the day when she saw the yard and asked herself if there is a program to assist the man with the yard work.“I saw a car in the driveway and thought it was weird. His house was covered in bushes and trees,” she said.Another neighbor said he felt the explosion two blocks away.James Dunne, who is the Wheeling police chief, said he was watching television when heard what he thought was thunder. When he stepped outside, he saw smoke rising from a house down the street.“I saw people running and seeking to help. The house was totally engulfed,” Dunne said. “The whole lot was on fire.”The wreckage a day after an explosion leveled a house in unincorporated Lake Zurich.David Struett/Sun-Times