Jun 24, 2009 5:32 pm US/Central
Powerful Explosion Destroys Romeoville House
City Crews Hit Gas Line Leading To House While Tearing Up Sidewalk
ROMEOVILLE, Ill. (CBS) ―
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A house in southwest suburban Romeoville was destroyed by a strong explosion the morning of June 24, 2009. At least one burn injury was reported.
CBS
A house exploded in west suburban Romeoville when city crews hit a gas line while tearing up the sidewalk.
CBS 2's Kris Habermehl reports the house, 412 Holden Ave., in Romeoville, is in ruins after the explosion sometime after 10 a.m. Wednesday.
City crews were tearing up the sidewalk outside the house and hit the gas line that led into the structure, causing the explosion, CBS 2's Mai Martinez has learned.
Neighbors say the injured person was a woman who was at the home at the time.
"I heard a big boom and I felt the ground shake a little bit," said witness Ashley Zizich.
Zizich says she rushed to a window to see what was going on.
"I just saw flames. I saw the lady who was in the house in her backyard just running, just kind of holding her arms, screaming for help," Zizich said.
Zizich grabbed her phone and called 911.
"I was so scared. When I was on the phone with 911, I was screaming. I said I have a baby, the flames are so high," Zizich said. "It's so hot. I see smoke. I don't want it to reach our house. It's really scary."
A few houses down, Melissa Doman was also panicking after seeing flames shooting out of her neighbor's house.
"I woke up my brother and I told him help me get everybody out of the house," Doman said.
As she and her family made their way to safety, Romeoville Police were going door to door trying to get people out of the area.
Investigators say the cause of the fire is still under investigation, but a contractor working in the area says another contactor working on the curbs hit a gas line.
"He pulled up the curb and right underneath the curb was a gas line, it came up with a piece of curb," said contractor Mike DeAngelis. "Once he pulled it up, you could hear it leaking."
Four hours after the explosion, the smell of gas was still lingering in the air.
"They suggested that we get out for a little bit, but I just didn't want to leave my home, you know, I'm kind of scared," Zizich said. "I just want to be home."
But Zizich says staying home is also difficult because every time she looks across her fence, she's reminded of what happened this morning, and her terrified neighbor screaming for help.
"It's just so scary. I thank god she was OK. I thank god that she was in the yard walking around OK," Zizich said.
The house was almost completely destroyed. Command personnel stayed on the scene after the explosion to take stock of what was left of the back of the single-story house.
In a news release Wednesday afternoon, Romeoville authorities confirmed contractors were performing concrete curb and sidewalk repairs in the area, but that the cause of the explosion is not yet definitely known and is under investigation.
According to the release, one person was injured in the explosion and was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove.
The identity of the woman who was injured in the fire is being withheld at this time. However, friends say she is severely burned.
CBS 2's Kris Habermehl and Mai Martinez contributed to this report.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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