VIDEO: The cleanup is underway Friday along with an investigation after a massive explosion levels a gas station and damages nearby homes and businesses in Berwyn. Cellphone video captured the devastation mere moments after the gas station exploded.
It happened in the western suburb around 3:45 p.m. Thursday in the 6700-block of Ogden Avenue. Authorities said first responders were already on site dealing with reports of multiple downed power lines because of thunderstorms moving through the area. That’s when two main gas lines at the gas station ignited. Minutes later they exploded without warning, leveling the gas station and damaging nearby homes and businesses.
The force of the blast was so strong that it shattered the windows of Novi’s Beef, a restaurant across the street, and other buildings nearby. “The roof shot about two-three hundred feet in the air and then it just came down,” Novi’s Beef manager Tom Zednik said. “It just shook us and thank God we have double pane glass, because our windows shattered instantly.” Other witnesses also described the scary situation.
