A recently renovated and “beautiful” home on the South Side partially exploded Saturday afternoon and officials say it may collapse at any time.
A still and box alarm was called for a house fire and explosion at 6426 S. Drexel Blvd. about 3:20 p.m., according to Fire Media Affairs Director Larry Langford.
Multiple explosions were heard inside the 2.5-story home, which appeared to be up for sale, Langford said. Heavy fire filled the inside of the residence, and the back wall of the house was “structurally compromised.”
Crews were fighting the blaze from the outside and could not immediately search the home due to the possibility of a full collapse, Langford said.
The blast may have been caused after the home filled with gas, which sometimes happens to new or rehabbed homes when people steal copper from the buildings, Langford said.
The “beautiful house,” as Langford dubbed it, was recently renovated and had a large deck surrounding it.
Multiple smaller blasts were heard while crews were on the scene, and officials will determine whether it’s safe to search the building when the fire is out.
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No injuries had been reported as of 3:45 p.m., but the home had not been searched yet, Langford said.
