One person injured in Elgin house explosion

An explosion blew out walls and windows of an Elgin home Monday night, causing injuries to one person, fire officials said.

Just before 10 p.m., Elgin firefighters responded to a reported explosion on the 1100 block of Morningside Drive.

The Elgin Fire Department said the front and east walls of the single-story home were blown out, with glass shattered. The resident evacuated the house himself and was found in the front yard when firefighters arrived.

The resident was taken to Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin and admitted to the intensive care unit, the fire department said.

Firefighters arrived in three minutes after the call, the department said, and the fire was under control in 10 minutes.

Damage was estimated at approximately $150,000, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Neighbors believe it was a natural gas explosion, said Cheri Lewis, who lives two doors down.

Lewis said recent storms caused a lot of downed trees and branches in the neighborhood, and that's what she first thought of when she heard the explosion.

"I thought it was a tree sliding or something," she said. Emergency sirens alerted her to something more serious happening in the neighborhood.