Chicagoans View Fire Damage
Some residents of a Chicago neighborhood racked by natural gas explosions and fires that killed two people returned to their homes Saturday and inspected the damage. Others had nothing to go back to.
Thirty-eight people sought shelter overnight from the city, the Salvation Army and the American Red Cross. Daniel Alvarez, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Human Services, said many would be unable to return to their homes because the buildings are no longer safe.
The explosions and fires, which destroyed or damaged 18 buildings in the West Town neighborhood, were blamed on a pair of faulty regulators in a natural gas line.
Three people remained in Northwestern Memorial Hospital on Saturday. A 75-year-old woman was in critical condition with burns and smoke inhalation, and her 78-year-old husband was in fair condition, said administrator Shirley Jackson. A Fire Department lieutenant was in fair condition with a possible broken leg.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
