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| House Explodes in Bushnell, Sets Two Others on Fire |
FIRST REPORTED 6:00am 11/26/09 The Thanksgiving holiday likely will be punctuated in Bushnell with cleanup of an area of the city rocked yesterday afternoon by a house that apparently exploded.
Bushnell Fire Chief Brent Glisan says his crews were called to a house that had apparently exploded in the 500 block of Washington Street in Bushnell, near the intersection with Hall, around 2:30pm Wednesday. He says the fire that ensued quickly spread to the houses on either side of it, melting some siding on one, and causing even more damage to the other.
Glisan tells WGIL it's not yet known if a gas line leak or some other problem is to blame, but it's something that he had to take into account when figuring out how to put out the blaze.
"It's definitely things that you've got to weigh in and determine, and know what you've got going on, and where stuff's at from there," Glisan said. "The utility office was real good in getting down here. They shut down...this gas grid for us, almost immediately upon receiving the call. That really helped us out there, too."
McDonough County authorities urged residents near the area to evacuate as a precaution but they were later given the all clear to return.
Glisan tells WGIL he wasn't far from the explosion when it happened. "I just live, actually, right across the alley from it. I was at home when it happened. It was definitely loud. There was no doubt something happened," Glisan said.
Glisan, who says he's about a block away from the explosion, described it as like an artillery shell being detonated.
Glisan says the house that exploded was occupied, but the person inside escaped unharmed. The two other houses were vacant.
No one was hurt. Crews spent over four hours on the scene, and got help from Avon, New Salem, Good Hope-Sciota, and Macomb.
(This lot is where a house once stood on the 500 block of Washington Street in Bushnell before being levelled Wednesday afternoon, along with a house to the right that was damaged by fire.)
(The house to the left of one that exploded Wednesday afternoon in Bushnell was damaged by the ensuing fire, with some of its siding melted.)
(A look at the exploded property from its back yard.)
(Fire crews from Bushnell and several other departments suit up following a break Wednesday night to continue fighting the fire. WGIL News Story and Photos by Will Stevenson.) |
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| 11 25 09 by Newsroom |
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