Two family members were injured late Thursday afternoon when their house exploded in southwest suburban Homer Glen due to what officials on the scene are attributing to a gas leak.
Neighbors reported the smell of gas outside before the house exploded at the intersection of South Parker Road and 143rd Street. People within a two-mile radius were asked to evacuate the area and were put up at the village’s Community Room. The Red Cross provided food for those who were displaced.
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Nicor gas officials still were trying to locate the origin of the gas leak, according to news reports, hours after the explosion and were asking the nearby residents not to return to their homes until the source was located and it was capped.
Roads were closed and Commonwealth Edison also shut off electric power in the area as firefighters fought the blaze in the bitter cold. Smoke and flames reportedly could be seen for miles away from the explosion.