A woman and her four children were seriously burned when a house exploded Thursday night in Hickory Hills, authorities said.
The woman, twin 9-year-old boys, a 7-year-old girl and a younger girl of uncertain age were taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in conditions ranging from serious to critical, a hospital supervisor said. One child later was airlifted to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, officials said.
The names of the family members were not released.
Hickory Hills police received a 911 call of a house explosion at about 5 p.m., officials said. When firefighters arrived at the split-level home in the 7700 block of West 93rd Street, they found the woman on fire on the front lawn, Roberts Park Fire Prevention District Cmdr. Paul Pasquarella said.
“The kids were on the lawn with their mother,” said Gail Vinci, a neighbor who lives across the street. “She was on fire. The little baby was in bad shape. The firemen brought her out and her face was all black.”
Vinci said she was in her garage when she heard an explosion. The garage, a breezeway, the kitchen and part of a back room of the home were burned, and there was smoke damage throughout, fire officials said. The cause of the explosion was under investigation, Pasquarella said.
Fire officials called for additional engines and ambulances from North Palos, Bridgeview, Oak Lawn, Burbank, Willow Springs, Justice and Bedford Park. The fire was out within 40 minutes, officials said.
The children’s father arrived during the fire and he was taken to Christ Medical Center to be with his family.
Neighbors said the family has lived in the house for five years and had a fire involving their gas stove about a year and a half ago.
“The mother was a very pleasant person and the father was always working,” said Jeff Michaels, a neighbor. “We almost never saw him.”