Body found in remains of home that exploded, burned down in Cicero, Illinois
A body was found in the remains of a two-story home that exploded and erupted in a raging fire in west suburban Cicero this weekend.
Cicero Fire Chief Jeff Penzkofer said investigators suspect a gas leak caused the explosion around 5 p.m. Saturday in a two-story home in the 2200 block of Central Avenue.
Initially, the family that lived in the apartment where the explosion was believed to have occurred told police and fire crews everyone in the family had been outside the building when the explosion happened.
But fire investigators did end up finding the remains of someone who apparently died as a result of the fire and explosion. Family members had said they thought the person had not been inside the building at the time.
The person who died has had not been formally identified late Sunday. It was determined the victim was outside the building.
The explosion happened while Eleni Vrettos, who lived in the building, was away and busy getting married. The debris left behind by the explosion and fire was composed of 40 years' worth of memories from Eleni Vrettos' home.
"Yesterday, I did get married. It was my wedding," Vrettos said. "Once the ceremony ended, we got word that potentially our house was on fire, or maybe the neighbor's, or something."
Indeed it was their home. Dash camera video showed the moment Vrettos' house exploded around 5 p.m. Saturday. The blast erupted into a large fire with flames rising high over the roof.
"Windows across the street that got blown out, OK? So there's I-beams that got blown out," said Penzkofer, "so it's indicating of a gas explosion."
Vrettos said her family lost their cats — Bambi, Tucker, Reya, Graham, Old Boy, and Grey — in the explosion.
"They're all gone," she said in a video clip she took right after her ceremony. "My babies."
Vrettos also came to her own ceremony in her wedding dress, while all her clothes were left behind. She said nothing was left from their home, which she also said was not insured.
"Honestly, I'm just sad of the unknown, like we just don't know what's going to happen," Vrettos said.
The Cicero Department said the two buildings next door to the Vrettos home were also damaged.
Investigators said 11 families were displaced altogether — and are being assisted by the Town of Cicero Department of General Assistance.
Meanwhile, Vrettos said she still made it to the wedding reception.
The Cicero Department said the two buildings next door to the Vrettos home were also damaged. No injuries were reported, the cause of the explosion is still under investigation.
Meanwhile, Vrettos said she still made it to the wedding reception.
