The explosion happened just before 10am at The Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America plant, located just south of Herscher.
Crews were doing routine maintenance in the main compressor building when the explosion occurred, blowing out sections of the building. The fire was quickly extinguished -- but not before one victim was burned. The patient was airlifted to the burn unit at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood and is now listed in stable condition.
The other four people were treated and released from local hospitals in Kankakee. The cause of the explosion is under investigation.
