An explosion rocked Chicago’s West Side on Tuesday morning, sending eight people to the hospital.
The Chicago Fire Department confirmed an explosion occurred on the fourth floor of a building on Central Avenue and West End Avenue and that the adjacent building was being evacuated.
While a cause is not yet determined, the Chicago Police Department’s bomb squad is at the scene, along with the Chicago division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
The department released a video showing the aftermath of the explosion, with noticeable amounts of debris covering the street.
— Chicago Fire Media (@CFDMedia) September 20, 2022
A witness who lived on the fourth floor in the adjacent building told WGN reporters at the scene that he heard a huge explosion, relating it to the sound of a bomb.
Otis Maning said he looked out his window to see debris flying from the fourth floor and windows busting open.
“They told us to evacuate, and man, we came outside and we saw this,” Maning told reporters. “And I’m glad that I made it out safe, and I hope everybody did, as well.”
All residents from both buildings were evacuated, but there is no timeline for them to go back into their homes, per WGN.
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Six males and two females were injured relating to the explosion and transported to Loyola, Sinai, and Stroger hospitals and West Suburban Medical Center. Four of the males are in critical condition, according to the Chicago Fire Department.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
