The identity of the man whose body was pulled from the rubble was not immediately released, and sheriff’s officials could not immediately confirm whether the victim was the homeowner.
A neighbor’s security camera captured the scene as two young children were playing basketball in the driveway of a house a few doors down when the house exploded, sending shrapnel onto the pavement and sending the children running for cover. The explosion was not captured on camera, but an orange glow from the blast was visible.
Neighbor Tiffany Koch told ABC Chicago affiliate WLS that she and other neighbors tried to rescue the man who was inside the home. Koch described hearing an explosion and then a moment of shaking that neighbors initially thought might be a tree falling.
“I don’t think anybody knew what was going on. We just heard a big explosion,” Koch told the station. “We immediately saw flames and smoke. We tried to go inside the house, but the flames were so high up.”
Fire investigators from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the Illinois State Fire Marshal are investigating the explosion but said it is too early to determine the cause.
Lake Zurich Fire Chief David Pilgard said there were no known issues affecting the area, such as gas line infrastructure problems or arson. Pilgard told The Washington Post on Wednesday afternoon that investigators were in the middle of a “very mundane operation” combing through every room and item in the destroyed home.
“They are investigating very methodically, without fixating on any suspected causes,” he said, noting the process is expected to take several days and will not necessarily yield conclusive results.
