1 dead, 1 injured after boat explodes in Chicago-area harbor

WILMETTE, Ill. (AP) - A man has been killed and another man injured in a boat explosion north of Chicago.

Wilmette Fire Chief Ben Wozney says the explosion occurred around 8 a.m. Saturday at a yacht club in Wilmette Harbor.

He says the man who died was on board when the 32-foot boat burst into flames. The other man, who was on the deck, was taken to Evanston Hospital.

Authorities haven't identified either man or determined what caused the explosion.

Wozney tells WLS-TV Chicago the boat was tethered to a fueling dock when crews arrived but that it wasn't being fueled at the time of the fire.

Authorities say they haven't seen an explosion of this magnitude before. A nearby resident told The Chicago Tribune the blast caused pictures on the walls of his home to shake.