Long Grove Working With Residents To Fix Homes Damaged In Explosion
(CBS) -- Inspectors are working with Long Grove residents whose homes were badly damaged by an explosion on Friday night.
WBBM's Regine Schlesinger reports the blast destroyed one house and left eight others uninhabitable.
Long Grove village president Angie Underwood says she's never seen anything like the devastation of the explosion.
"The only thing I can equate it to is pictures I've seen of a tornado."
Debris was catapulted into the upper branches of trees in the upscale Royal Melbourne subdivision. The house that blew up is completely gone. Underwood says the woman who lived there, made it out of the house with just seconds to spare before it blew up.
"She, by the grace of God, did not go back into her house to retrieve something and those seconds really saved her life."
Underwood says the village is working to help the eight families whose homes were badly damaged.
"Get inspectors into those homes and let the homeowners know exactly what needs to be fixed, expedite building permits and get them back in their homes as soon as possible," said Underwood.
It could be months before investigators determine what caused the explosion but, early indications point to natural gas.