Lake Zurich

Coroner identifies Lake Zurich man killed in home explosion

Timothy Toczylowski, 77, was found dead following an explosion at his Lake Zurich home, according to the Lake County Coroner's Office

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The person who died in a home explosion in the northwest Chicago suburb of Lake Zurich was identified on Friday evening.

The Lake County Coroner's Office said Timothy Toczylowski, 77, was found deceased after firefighters extinguished a fire at his residence along North Overhill Road. The coroner, in a news release, said an autopsy indicated Toczylowski's injuries were consistent with inhaling products of combustion.

However, toxicology and carbon monoxide tests were pending late Friday.

Toczylowski was identified after a forensic odontologist conducted an examination of the victim and compared it with his dental records.

The deadly explosion happened around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 23500 block of North Overhill Road, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office. Toczylowski was initially unaccounted for after the explosion; his body was later recovered from the debris on Wednesday morning.

One person was killed in a home explosion in a northwest Chicago suburb Tuesday evening, authorities said. Sandra Torres reports.

Video from a nearby home's security cameras captured the frightening moment of the explosion.

In the video, two children can be seen playing basketball in a driveway when flames shoot out from a home. The children run for help as neighbors leave their homes to see what happened.

"Call 911," one person can be heard shouting.

Ulises Hernandez, whose cameras captured the footage, said he was watching television in his house with his wife when the explosion happened.

"We heard loud boom and it shook the house. We panicked. We knew the kids were outside," he told NBC Chicago. "Check the back to see [if] they were in the trampoline, they weren’t there. So immediately ran out. I heard my wife screaming call 911."

Hernandez's son Emanuel was one of the children seen playing basketball at the time of the blast.

"A big rush of fear, scary situation. I didn’t think I’d ever see that," he said.

Despite the extreme nature of the explosion, authorities said there was no major damage done to nearby homes. The cause remained under investigation Friday.

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