Body recovered from rubble after explosion levels house in Chicago suburbs

A body was recovered from the rubble of a house that exploded in a Chicago suburb on Tuesday night, police say.

Emergency crews were called to the house of a 77-year-old man located in unincorporated Lake Zurich, Illinois, at 8:30 p.m. after an explosion completely leveled the home, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Neighbors told local news CBS 2 News that they heard a loud "boom" when it happened in the suburb, about 40 miles northwest of downtown Chicago.

"We could not account for the individual that resided at the house that had the explosion," David Pilgard, the Lake Zurich fire chief, told USA TODAY.

A body was recovered from the rubble, but has not been identified yet, he added.

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What happened?

When firefighters arrived at the scene of the explosion, they found a single-family, wood-frame home that was "heavily involved in fire," said Pilgard.

Radiant heat from the fire did damage to the neighboring homes, and firefighters focused on making sure the flames didn't spread to them.

There were no fire hydrants in the area where the explosion occurred, so firefighters had call in a truck that carries water to help control and extinguish the flames.

"The house that had the blast was demolished, and our first priority was the two neighboring houses to make sure that no one was hurt," said Pilgard.

No one outside the home reported any injuries due to the explosion.

Gas turned off in neighboring houses, investigation underway

The explosion damaged the natural gas meter and gas was free-flowing and burning after the explosion.

Officials needed to turn off the gas at the neighboring home while they put out the fires, but Pilgard confirmed that the gas is back on at the homes surrounding the area. He added that firefighters usually shut off the gas in homes where a fire has started to prevent it from fueling the flames and as an extra safety precaution.

The Lake County Coroner’s Office is scheduling an autopsy, and an investigation is still ongoing, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. She has covered various topics, from local businesses and government in her hometown, Miami, to tech and pop culture. You can connect with her on LinkedIn or follow her on X, formerly Twitter, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz