A home near Oak Forest exploded Friday in an apparent fireworks-related incident, neighbors said.
Thick black smoke billowed from the house about 4 p.m. in the 16300 block of Kedvale Avenue, with hot flames and sparks shooting from the visible and charred wood framing of the house. Debris floated and fell from the home, sprinkling nearby trees and buildings.
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Sherri Starostka, a woman who identified herself as the homeowner’s sister, said her brother, his wife and their children escaped the blaze unhurt. She said their dogs, cats and birds were trapped inside the house, its roof then beginning to sag and collapse.
She said she believed there were fireworks inside the home.
“It was a fireworks fire,” said Terrence Neeley, a construction worker who was working nearby. He said he and co-workers watched as two men tried to extinguish the fire as smaller fireworks were going off.
“They poured water on the fire, and they almost had it, the smoke got real light,” before the explosion, Neeley said.
Police and fire officials could not be reached for comment about the incident in an unincorporated area outside Oak Forest.
