With a natural gas leak from Nicor ruled out, officials said Thursday they're still looking for the cause of a house explosion and fire in rural Bloomington that left three people critically injured.
It happened late Tuesday at the Hoefer family's home along Old Peoria Court, just east of Rivian Motorway and near an OSF PromptCare. The house was burned to the ground and two neighboring homes were damaged.
Danvers Fire Chief Glenn Rosecrans, whose agency was the lead responder, said it was not a natural gas leak from Nicor.
Nicor utility crews on scene cut off the gas line, but firefighters still discovered a burning pipe in the basement.
“They were able to dig up the yard out closer to the main and actually cut and cap the line out there and then that other pipe continued to burn, so it was not being fed by Nicor,” Rosecrans said.
Nicor also confirmed that information in a statement.
“We assisted local and state authorities in their investigation and have determined this event was not caused by our facilities," Nicor spokesperson Nicole Frett said.
There are several agencies involved in the origin-and-cause investigation, including the State Fire Marshal's office, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, McLean County sheriff’s detectives, the McLean County Emergency Management Agency, and Nicor.
Supporting the family
Several members of the Hoefer family suffered injuries in the explosion and resulting fire, including burns. Eight people were taken to the hospital.
A GoFundMe has been set up for the family. Parents John and Gretchen were in the home at the time, as well as six of their eight children (between ages 9 and 25), according to the GoFundMe. Some of the injured are being treated at three different regional burn centers.
As of noon Thursday, more than $15,000 has been raised on GoFundMe.
The Hoefers are active members of the East White Oak Bible Church family, and they were a special part of the church's Wednesday night prayer meeting, church leaders said. The church maintains a Benevolence Fund that church members are invited to contribute to.
"They are beloved. We stand ready to support them in whatever ways may be necessary as they recover from their physical injuries and their loss of property," said East White Oak senior associate pastor Traig Whittaker. "Until it is clear what exactly their needs are, we are committed to praying for them."
Neighboring homes
The explosion created a fast-moving fire that spread to a neighboring home to the west. The home to the east sustained some heat damage and a fence was destroyed.
Rosecrans said there were several vehicles between the burning home and the western neighboring home, including a camper, which at first made it difficult to reach the fire.
“We were having a hard time with all the cars there getting into that area, because they were parked clear out to the street that way,” Rosecrans said. “The ones that were burning, including the camper, were putting off a lot of heat.”
“It was creating a hard time for us to get to that house and … to stop the extension of the fire to that house,” he continued.
Crews worked from 11:50 p.m. Tuesday to approximately 5:30 a.m. Wednesday to put out explosion-related fires. Rosecrans said it took several more hours to locate and put out the burning pipe in the basement.
Danvers Fire said some victims have been released from the hospital as of 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Seven fire departments provided mutual aid to fight the fire: Allen Township Fire Protection District, Carlock Fire Protection District, Dale Township Fire Protection District, Mt. Hope-Funks Grove Fire Protection District, Bloomington Township Fire Protection District, Normal Fire Department and Bloomington Fire Department.
There is no damage total yet. The Hoefers' home is destroyed as were multiple vehicles.
