“There was an explosion at Central & West End. Adjacent building is being evacuated. There are a number of transports. Update to follow with transport info. No further info at this time.” tweeted Chicago Fire Media
An explosion Tuesday morning shook an apartment building in Chicago’s South Austin neighborhood, injuring eight people.
At least three people taken to hospitals had serious or critical injuries, officials said. The fire department reports two female and six male victims. Deputy Fire Commissioner Marc Ferman said one victim was across the street from the explosion.
Anthonella Wims, one of the injured, was waiting at a bus stop across the street when the explosion happened.
Everything blew up first, she said. Everything’s glass. Top building blew up.
Donell Adams, another injured victim, told CBS Chicago he was approaching the building’s front door when the blast pushed him back 8 feet.
Fire officials tweeted about the explosion at 9:45 a.m. Four-story residential building and an adjacent building were evacuated. Ferman reported 10 ambulances and 135 first responders.
Photos and videos posted to Chicago Fire’s Twitter page showed the explosion destroyed windows and damaged the building. Large piles of debris covered the building’s sidewalk and street.
Shannon Nelson, a neighbor, was in bed when the explosion happened.
Nelson’s bed shook like an earthquake.
The building has been thoroughly searched, according to the latest fire department post.
Ferman told local reporters on Tuesday that a final sweep of the building would continue. The department is “confident” the structure is clear, but the fourth floor is “compromised.” Ferman noted “good” air quality.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot thanked the fire department and building department for their coordinated response to the collapse.
Bomb unit and ATF personnel responded, according to fire officials.
The cause of the explosion is unknown and under investigation, but the apartment building had failed annual inspections for 12 years and received citations in 2017 and 2018 for “failing to repair or replace defective or out-of-service smoke detectors”
Peoples Gas turned off the gas after Tuesday’s explosion. According to CBS Chicago, the company said there’s no evidence a gas-related issue caused the incident.
Roman Viere, the building’s owner, said, “We’re heartbroken for our residents.”
“Health, well-being, and safety are our top priorities. We’re cooperating with emergency services and ready to help residents “CBS Chicago quotes Viere.
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Published By: Sandipn Dutta
