House Explodes On Washington Street In Joliet

JOLIET, IL — One woman was seriously injured and two other people were taken to the hospital following a house explosion on Joliet's east side Sunday afternoon. The house that exploded is in the 2100 block of East Washington Street in the Ingalls Park area. An older couple lived at the house, and both were outside when the house exploded, neighbors told Joliet Patch.

Sara Glim told Patch that several of her windows were broken as a result of the explosion two doors away at her neighbor's property. Glim said she was sitting on her couch when the explosion happened at 2:49 p.m.

"It knocked the pictures off my wall," Glim told Patch. "It's just so horrible. It almost blew me off the couch. I thought a car had crashed into the side of my house."

Glim said that another neighbor was taken to the hospital after a brick went through a window of her house and hit her in the head. Glim said it was her understanding that the older couple whose house was destroyed did not suffer life-threatening injuries.

They both were taken to the hospital, however.

"I'm just so thankful," Glim said. "It could have been worse. The damage on my vehicle and house can be fixed easily. They don't have a house to go back to."

Glim said the explosion was deafening.

"It was like a nuclear bomb. I literally thought that I would go outside and the whole world would be gone. It hurt me."

Glim said she did not smell any natural gas or smoke following the explosion.

The East Washington Street property is outside the city of Joliet limits near the intersection of Clairmont Avenue.