One of the homes on 7th circle that was destroyed during a June 11 gas leak explosion in Marengo. (Photo courtesy of Amanda Underwood)

The month of June has already been formidable for the city of Marengo, in terms of unexpected events: the state’s attorney’s office announced charges against a 16-year old who threatened a city officer with a handgun, the fire protection district handled two major separate incidents involving a commercial and residential site, an armed robbery occurred at the Marengo Community Pharmacy, and the high school girls softball team took first place in the June 10 IHSA Class 3A state championships.

“The Indians winning it all … that was the best news,” said Marengo Fire Protection District Chief Bob Bradbury. “The rest of it … that wasn’t so good.”

At approximately 4:50 a.m., June 11, the 500 block of 7th Circle was convulsed by a gas explosion that destroyed two homes, set four others aflame, left 19 residences uninhabitable, and damaged more than 50 more homes in the area. The investigation as to the cause has led to a suspected gas leak, and is not being pursued as criminal intent. The state of Illinois fire marshall and Naperville-based NICOR Gas are heading the investigation.

Neighborhood residents and fire protection district personnel confer about the destruction and next steps, after the June 11 gas explosion. (Photo courtesy of Amanda Underwood)

“We were extremely lucky, there were only two people hurt … they were treated for burns and released,” said Bradbury. “The matter is basically in NICOR’s hands. We walked through the houses with insurance adjusters, in order to make sure it was safe for them to do so, where the houses were habitable. The incident was confined to the neighborhood.”

Bradbury spent the morning of June 13, meeting with insurance companies and surveying the extensive devastation to what was once a quiet residential community.

“Many of the families that were displaced have made other arrangements for living quarters, either staying with friends or relatives, or renting properties. The major consideration is getting the power safely restored to homes, by ComEd.”

The two injured people were rescued from the second floor of a home that caught fire, by a fire protection district battalion chief and a resident. It was next to a home that exploded. They were taken to Woodstock Centegra Hospital and treated for burns.

The disaster reached a Level 3 on the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS), a consortium of fire, emergency response and medical personnel, along with specialized equipment teams that are coordinated through southeastern Wisconsin and northeastern Illinois. The threshold indicates that various countywide and municipal companies were called for assistance to the municipality, and supplying backup.

Marengo’s community high school was opened as a pet-friendly cooling center, and displacement station. McHenry County Board chairman Jack Franks, a Marengo resident, issued a statement, in part: “The McHenry County government is working closely with officials … McHenry County building inspectors are assisting in the inspection of damaged homes, with the McHenry County Emergency Management Agency helping coordinate relief measures … (the county) stands ready to provide whatever additional assistance we can.”

Marengo Mayor John Koziol spent June 11, and the following evening at the City Hall, where the city council members met in their normal bi-monthly session. Voicemail messages on the city’s main phone line directed to the Marengo area OutReach Enterprises, a nonprofit group, that was accepting donations and offering help to those impacted by the incident.

“As for the damage assessment, the insurance companies will make the determination,” said Bradbury. “Overall, we were lucky only two people were hurt. Very lucky. Many people were not home at the time.”

An estimated cost for replacement, and total damage amount, had not been calculated at press time.

— Gas explosion levels Marengo neighborhood; two hurt–