At least 8 injured in Chicago apartment explosion

At least eight people were injured when the top floor of a Chicago apartment building exploded Tuesday morning (Photo: CBS)

At least eight people were injured in an explosion at a Chicago apartment building on Tuesday, causing “mass casualties,” officials said.

Three of the injured are in critical condition, the Chicago Fire Department said.

The explosion occurred on Central and West End Avenues in the South Austin neighborhood around 9 a.m. local time, collapsing the entire top floor of an apartment building.

The top floor of the building remained largely collapsed as debris filled the residential area below.

The fire department tweeted, “Explosion confirmed but source unknown.

Six men and two women, whom authorities presumed were all adults, were taken to a local hospital.

One of the victims was in a building across the street from the blast site, Deputy Chief Mark Fellman said at a press conference from the blast site.

Residents of adjacent buildings were also evacuated. By 11:15 a.m. local time, officials said they were confident everyone had evacuated the affected building.

A resident of the apartment across the street said. chicago sun-times They thought there was an earthquake when they heard and felt an explosion shaking the house.

Bryce Collier told The Sun-Times, “I was brushing my teeth in the bathroom and everything in the bathroom fell out.” “I thought it was an earthquake”

Collier’s girlfriend, Shannon Nelson, spoke of the horror she experienced.

“It felt like a terrorist attack.

Neighbor Terrill Townes heard the explosion two blocks away and told the newspaper it “sounded like a bomb.”

The cause of the explosion is currently unknown, but the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Chicago Police Department Bomb Squad were called to the scene to investigate.

Other apartments in the area have also been evacuated and searched, officials said.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a statement: “My thoughts are with those who were evacuated and injured in the building collapse near Austin, and the bravery of the Chicago Fire Department as they work to mitigate the dangerous conditions. We must also thank the men and women who are

Please contact the news team by email. webnews@metro.co.uk.

For other stories like this, check out our news page.



https://metro.co.uk/2022/09/20/at-least-eight-injured-in-explosion-at-chicago-apartment-building-17419036/ At least 8 injured in Chicago apartment explosion

Exit mobile version