Photo: Dan Reynolds Photography / Moment / Getty Images
The body of a 77-year-old man was discovered in the rubble of a house that exploded in the Chicago suburb of Lake Zurich. Authorities said that firefighters were dispatched to the home around 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday (June 4) and found it engulfed in flames.
"The flames were so intense that the trees were catching on fire," neighborhood resident Mark Schultz told WLS. "I actually saw branches falling down on top of the firefighters' heads. It was a very dangerous situation."
The firefighters did their best to contain the fire as they waited for the utility company to dig up the gas lines so they could shut off the natural gas to the property.
Officials have not determined what caused the massive explosion. They have not identified the body, but it is believed to be that of the man who lived there.
The blast was so powerful that it damaged two nearby homes and sent two young kids running for cover.
Ulises Hernandez told WMAQ that his son and a friend were playing basketball in his driveway when the home blew up. The explosion sent debris flying toward the two boys as they ran away.
"We heard a loud boom, and it shook the house. We panicked. We knew the kids were outside," he told the news station. "Check the back to see [if] they were in the trampoline, they weren't there. So immediately ran out. I heard my wife screaming call 911."
Hernandez's Ring security camera captured the moment the two boys ran from the blast.