1 hurt in Buffalo Grove house explosion

A Buffalo Grove man was injured Monday when the north wall of his home was blown out in an explosion and fire.

Buffalo Grove Battalion Chief Joe Wieser said the 40-year-old man was taken to Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights and then transferred to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood. His condition wasn't known, but authorities didn't believe the injuries were life threatening.

Police initially responded to a report at 2:40 p.m. from a third party who asked officers to check on a despondent man in a single-family raised ranch house on the 600 block of Mac Arthur Drive, according to police Cmdr. Steve Husak. A fire engine and ambulance also responded.

Husak said police smelled natural gas and tried to get the resident's attention through a window, but an explosion occurred almost immediately, revealing a kitchen and living room area on the second floor.

Wieser said the resident came out of the side wall soon after, but it happened so quickly that fire personnel aren't sure if he jumped or was pushed out by the force of the explosion. Wieser said the fire was out in about half an hour.

"We're lucky nobody (from the fire department) was inside," he said. "The explosion caused the building to become structurally unsound."

A neighbor said police told him to stay indoors, but he saw feathers from pillows flying around as firefighters fought the flames. And a 10-year-old walking home from school with a friend said he heard the explosion and saw the smoke and flames. Police said nobody else was in the house and the man lives alone. Two dogs, apparently uninjured, were taken to the police station. The Buffalo Grove public works department boarded up the house Monday evening while fire crews continued to investigate the cause of the explosion and fire.