The investigation is ongoing in Crestwood, Illinois, following a house explosion on Friday. Authorities have confirmed that they found the single occupant of the home.
The explosion happened sometime after 2 p.m. Thursday in the 14000 block of Kenneth Court in Crestwood, fire officials said.
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch
Daylight revealed the devastation after the home exploded and went up in flames, leaving a man, believed to be the 76-year old homeowner, dead.
The body of an adult male was found in the ruble.
While the individual’s identity has not been officially released, a woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, claims to be connected to the victim through marriage.
“It’s just devastating, and I feel terrible for my granddaughter and her husband and their entire family,” she said. “It’s been a lot to cope with.”
The unthinkable happened Thursday afternoon in a quiet cul-de-sac near 141st Street in Crestwood. That’s when calls for help began pouring into 911.
Moments later, firefighters arrived to find the home engulfed in flames. They immediately worked to contain the fire.
“Suddenly, there was a massive explosion that caught me off guard,” shared neighbor Thomas Andersen. “I rushed outside to find the house engulfed in flames, and neighbors were coming over to help.”
Chopper 7 was over the scene of the home that was leveled by the explosion. At least one nearby home was severely damaged.
Friday afternoon, investigators were on site trying to figure why the house blew up.
Neighbors said the man who lived in the home was a Vietnam War veteran who was a retired truck driver. They say he had lived in the house for a while with his wife before she died a few years ago.
While authorities said nothing is being ruled out, those who live there struggle to make sense of the tragedy that left their neighborhood in shambles.
No firefighters were hurt battling the blaze that followed the explosion, officials said. The cleanup continues, as does the investigation into the explosion.
NICOR and ATF officials were on the scene Thursday evening as crews worked on manually shutting off the natural gas by digging into the ground.
No further information about the incident was immediately available.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
Copyright © 2025 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.
