Company identifies Beach Park man as fourth victim of Waukegan blast
The body of the fourth man killed in the explosion that destroyed a Waukegan manufacturing facility has been recovered, authorities said Wednesday.
The company later identified the man as Daniel Nicklas, 24, of Beach Park, ABC 7 Chicago reported.
The discovery, made Tuesday night in the ruins of the AB Specialty Silicones factory, shifts investigators' focus away from the scene and to the cause of the Friday night blast, Waukegan Fire Marshall Steve Lenzi said.
The building site will remain as is for now in case federal agencies require more evidence from the scene, Lenzi said. The evidence his department required has been recovered and is being investigated off-site, he said.
"Unfortunately, the scene will remain here for a while," Lenzi said.
Authorities say nine workers were in the building at 3790 Sunset Ave. when the explosion occurred, killing four and injuring three others. Employees Jeff Cummings, 57, of Kenosha, Wisconsin, and Byron H. Biehn, 53, of Brighton Township, Wisconsin, were found dead at the scene last weekend. Allen Stevens, 29, of Salem, Wisconsin, died Saturday morning at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood.
An autopsy of Nicklas is set for Thursday, Lake County Coroner Howard Cooper said. Investigators hope dental records will be enough to confirm the identification, he said before the company's announcement.
Nicklas was found under extensive debris and rubble, Cooper said, but he could not release a cause of death until after the autopsy is completed and toxicology is returned.
Cooper said he has repeatedly met with the families of all the victims, and finding the last victim was a sense of relief amid the sad circumstances.
"That's what we were there for. We had been looking for him and we were relieved to find him and allow the family to have closure," Cooper said after the news conference.
Waukegan Fire Department Chief George Bridges Jr. said he was proud of the way first responders handled the tragedy and investigation.
"These families here, our heart beats with them," he said. "We have methodically taken this site apart only with an effort to put these families back together."
Lenzi previously said there is no evidence of foul play and the explosion appears to be the result of an accident within the processes at the silicone factory.
The blast, which occurred about 10 p.m. Friday, caused an estimated $1 million in damage and was felt as far away as Buffalo Grove.