5 families displaced, cats killed after explosion and fire in Cicero, Illinois
Five families have been displaced following a house explosion caused by a raging fire Saturday evening in west suburban Cicero.
Cicero Fire Chief Jeff Penzkofer said investigators suspect a gas leak caused the explosion around 5 p.m. in a two-story home in the 2200 block of Central Avenue.
No one was home when the explosion happened.
The entire front of the building was blown out, and some of the bricks from that building landed all the way across the street. At least two neighboring buildings also were damaged in the blast.
"Windows across the street got blown out. There's I-beams that got blown out, so it's indicating of a gas explosion," Penzkofer said.
The explosion caused a large fire in the building where it started, with flames rising high over the roof of surrounding structures.
Firefighters were concerned the flames could spread to buildings on the north and south sides.
"They had the other residents in the neighborhood evacuate," neighbor Jeff Scott said.
Penzkofer said six people lived in the building where the explosion happened and were at a family wedding at the time.
The woman who lived in the home said she learned of the fire while at the wedding.
"We were at the wedding, taking pictures at the end of the ceremony, and my daughter's friend called her. They said there was a fire, and they weren't sure whose house it was. Later, I learned the town was calling. I hadn't looked at my phone or anything," said Pauline Vrettos.
Though no injuries were reported, the family did lose their cats in the explosion.
Officials said four of the families displaced are from the corner building in the 5600 block of West 22nd Place. They were unable to go to their building because the main entrance and some of the doors to the units were broken into. Once the doors are repaired, those fire families should be able to return to their apartments either Sunday or Monday.
Cicero also contacted the Red Cross to respond to the families' needs, and food was provided to them.
Fire crews were back at the scene Sunday morning for investigation.
