Man critically injured in house explosion in unincorporated Cary, fire officials say

MCHENRY COUNTY, Ill. (WLS) -- A man was burned and critically injured in a house fire and explosion Sunday in the northwest suburbs.

Neighbors told ABC7 sound of this explosion could be heard across several blocks and debris went flying across the street with glass spreading to the road and other lawns.

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The fire and explosion happened around 1:32 p.m. in the 6700 block of Pheasant Trail in unincorporated Cary, McHenry County, the Cary Fire Protection District said.

Firefighters arrived at the home and found a house on fire with doors and windows blown off of the building, official said.

A man, whose exact age was no yet known, was found on the ground outside of the home with burn injuries. He was taken to a hospital in Barrington in critical condition. He needed a medical helicopter but that was not available in the region, so he was rushed to the hospital by ambulance.

Emergency crews controlled the fire around 2:12 p.m. The house was considered a total loss.

No other injuries were reported. The man was the only occupant of the house at the time of the explosion and fire.

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The home was later boarded up, and somehow the surrounding homes were not damaged.

Next-door neighbor Esteban Rodriguez said his family is so grateful that their home came out of the incident unharmed.

"It was just a big explosion we didn't know what happened my family thought something fell like a tree... and came outside just saw a lot of smoke shattered glass," Rodriguez said. "Pretty grateful. I thought there would be damage to the side of the house, and my mom's jeep was right there."

Neighbors also said that the homeowner had just sold the house recently.

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The Cary fire crews were aided by multiple neighboring fire departments. The Cary Fire Protection District McHenry County Building Department, the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal and Nicor are investigating the fire and explosion.

Nicor release the following statement:
"Ensuring the safety of the public and every customer we serve is our No. 1 value. Our personnel are on scene and continue to assist local authorities with the ongoing investigation. We have confirmed the safety and proper operation of our facilities. The safety of our customers, our employees and the communities we serve is our highest priority."

No further information was immediately available.