WARRENSBURG, Ill. (WCIA) — On Sunday, a home explosion resulted in the recovery of two bodies near E. Main and S. Roosevelt Streets in Warrensburg.
Neighbors are left in shock, joined together in grief for their friends. Ralf Henkel and dozens of other people felt the blast.
“You don’t think it’ll ever happen in your block,” Henkel said. “Knocked one of the things off the shelf in the family room,” he said.
He rushed out into his yard where — at first — there was no fire, but then watched as the home quickly went up in flames.
“I just ran out thinking I might be able to do something, and I wish I would have grabbed a fire extinguisher,” Henkel said.
Multiple crews worked to put out the fire, and stayed on scene tending to hotspots.
The bodies have yet to be identified, but neighbors said a couple in their mid-seventies had lived in the house for decades.
Neighbor Patricia Mooney shared, “They were wonderful people, always ready to help others. We will miss them dearly. I hope they didn’t suffer and went straight to heaven.”
The couple’s years of memories now sit charred in their yard. Roofing and furniture have been burned into rubble.
In light of the tragedy, neighbors are left reminded of how things can change in an instant.
“You do realize how day to day your life is, moment to moment, so don’t waste any,” Henkel said.
The cause of the explosion remains under investigation. WCIA has contacted the Warrensburg Fire Department for updates but has not received further information yet.
