Explosion in Skokie, One Man Injured

Updated: 10:56 a.m., 10:20 p.m.

At least one person was injured when an explosion blew off the facade of an entire apartment building this morning at 8734 N. Kimball Ave. at about 9 a.m. today, according to fire officials.

The property was newly-sold and no one was living there, neighbors said. It was being renovated by contractors related to the new owner, fire officials said. One man on the scene was taken away by ambulance. The injured man was standing outside near the property prior to the explosion, officials added.

"His head was open in the back. He was pretty bloody and struggling to get up. He was walking around, mumbling," said neighbor Caccuis Bell, 19, who lives next door at 8730 N. Kimball Ave.

"It shook our entire building," He said. "I looked outside saw the whole building on fire." Bell also added that his family's widow cracked, but didn't shatter.

David Phillips, 49, lives a block away. "It was a weird sound," he said. "It wasn't like you heard it and were like, 'Oh my God, a house exploded.' "

Jim Walters, Deputy Chief for the Skokie Fire Department, said the person injured was taken to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston.

“When Skokie fire crews arrived on scene the structure was fully engulfed in flames and the front façade had already collapsed” Walters said.  “The Skokie Fire Department isolated the structure, which was vacant, and shut off all utilities” Walters noted.

Fire crews from Wilmette, Evanston and Morton Grove also responded to the scene.

“Based on the damage, we’re assuming it was a gas explosion,” Walters told the Chicago Tribune. “We’re still investigating.”

The apartment building was recently sold as a short sale for $270,000 to a young couple, according to a real estate agent familiar with the deal. She said that the couple was planning on renting out two of the units while living in the other.

An employee at Cook County Board Up said the entire building is likely to be torn down.

"There's nothing to board up," he said. "The front and the back are blown off. This thing is coming down."

To view before pictures of the apartment complex -- including the interior -- click here.

Skokie Patch will continue to report details as they are known.