Explosion Rocks Illinois Shopping Mall

At Least 9 Injured; Authorities Believe Gas Leak Caused Blast

(CBS/AP)  An explosion possibly caused by a gas leak ripped through a suburban Chicago shopping plaza Thursday, injuring at least nine people and rattling nearby buildings, fire officials said.

Eight people were taken to a hospital, none with life-threatening injuries, and another was treated at the scene, Deputy Fire Chief Dan Young said. A fire that erupted had been extinguished, and crews were nearly certain the rubble had been cleared by mid-afternoon but were seeking one person who had been reported missing, he said.

The blast struck around lunchtime in the business district about 40 miles north of Chicago, shattering windows and collapsing the roof of the plaza, which housed a cell phone shop, a tuxedo store and a hair salon, among other businesses.

Mannequins from the tuxedo store were left strewn about the street, reports CBS News station WBBM-TV in Chicago.

Authorities believe the cause was a gas explosion, Young said.

Two of the eight people taken to the hospital were in serious condition, Young said. The injuries included smoke inhalation, bumps and bruises, he said.

Candi Rixie said she was taking orders at Leno's Submarine Shop a block away from the shopping plaza when the blast hit.

"We felt like an earthquake, like somebody had hit the building with a car," she said.

Rixie said she ran out of the restaurant to see what had happened. She and others first thought they saw bodies in the street, but realized it was clothes that had been on display in a store and had been blown outside by the blast.

A spokeswoman for People's Gas said a crew was on the scene but hasn't been able to get close enough to say what might have caused the explosion.

David Motley, a spokesman for the city of Waukegan, said the brick building was decades-old.

"The roof blew up and off and fell back down," he said.

George Sanchez, general manager of Chicago-based Mena Travel agency, said his company's Waukegan branch was adjacent to the explosion and employees inside felt the vibrations. But the store wasn't damaged by the blast.

"Our folks are OK. They were asked to vacate the premises for safety reasons," he said.

Waukegan has a population of about 88,000.

[gunnerv1]

School(LIAR)lord did it!

[fuzzybear9]

Hello Blues Brothers

This will certainly be blamed on Ferris Bueler
and his failing High School.
Its Rooneys Fault ! see what happens when Kids don''t graduate from school.
This should send a warning to all North Side
Residents if your going to take the L-train into town
Waukegan could blow up. and no one even mentioned the piggly wiggly.

Sincerely Fuzzys Day Off Bear
Fuzzy

[mcvet]

Where''s the Terror Code? All of you remember the rediculous Colors used by the Fascist and the fuhrer to scare people during his run for re-election? Since McCain wants to continue the Fuhrers policies maybe he can bring that back... make sure the simple minded and the Klan have their fear. Sieg Heil Bush

[j-whitman]

Where are the Bushies yelling "Muslem Manenequin''s, only Bush can protect us" ??

[rowdytexan2]

Mannequins from the tuxedo store were left strewn about the street, reports CBS News station WBBM-TV in Chicago."

Oh the carnage!

Will there be a fund set up to help the Manenequin''''s family?



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Posted by rushlimpdrug at 05:33 PM : Feb 28, 2008


Shame on you! ROFL!

[dan9111]

blame it on the terrorists. osama bin waukegan

Posted by bogusbones

No, it was global warming. Can''t you tell our Earth has a cold and it is sneezing at us? We should all go buy Al Gore''s movie and learn from this event.

[bogusbones]

blame it on the terrorists. osama bin waukegan

[rushlimpdrug]

"Mannequins from the tuxedo store were left strewn about the street, reports CBS News station WBBM-TV in Chicago."

Oh the carnage!

Will there be a fund set up to help the Manenequin''s family?