Explosion levels house in Lake Station, Indiana
LAKE STATION, Ind. (CBS) -- A house explosion in Northwest Indiana sent one person to the hospital with severe burns late Friday.
As CBS 2's Jermont Terry reported, investigators are now looking into the possibility of foul play.
As of 10 p.m., investigators were still on the scene of the explosion at a house on East 27th Avenue in Lake Station. Fire crews were still dealing with hot spots hours after the blast.
The blast leveled the two-story home, and there was nothing left of it but the foundation Friday night.
Right now, the explosion appears to be suspicious. For a better idea of just how severe the blast was, the man inside the house at the time was found more than a block away – badly injured.
On Friday night, K-9s were brought in to sift through the debris of the house. While investigators believe they have accounted for the one person injured, they had to make sure no one else was trapped when the house mysteriously exploded.
"We're looking into possibly of foul play," said Lake Station fire Chief Chuck Fazekas. "That's why we're doing the investigation right now."
We are told the owners of the home were not there. But somehow, a man was inside.
Investigators found the man a block away underneath debris, with third-degree burns. A University of Chicago Medical Center helicopter was sent out to airlift him to the hospital.
Authorities hope the man can shed light on why he was in the home at the time, and what led to the explosion.
"He's not a resident here," Fazekas said. "He's showing signs of something that might have to do with this, so we have to cover all our leads."
The man was in critical condition at the U of C Medical Center Friday night. We are told fire crews will be on the scene for a good portion of the night.
