Two people are dead after a house exploded in the Fox Chase area of Oswego Thursday evening.
Authorities suspect a natural gas leak was involved, but have not yet determined the exact cause of the explosion.
Just after 5:00pm Thursday, the Oswego Fire Protection District was dispatched to the 200 block of Fox Chase Drive North, where they found a collapsed house completely engulfed in flames. Fire suppression and a search began immediately.
Once the fire had been largely extinguished, a natural gas line continued to burn, which required a dig team from NICOR to clamp off the gas supply, allowing operations to resume.
Just after 1:00am, a search of the debris resulted in the discovery of two deceased bodies, at which point the Kendall County Coroner’s Office was brought on scene to recover the bodies. The victims were subsequently identified as James Fitzmaurice Sr., 64, and Virgie Fitzmaurice, 62.
The Oswego Fire Protection District was assisted by fire departments from 7 nearby communities. The incident is still being investigated by OFPD with assistance from the Oswego Police Department and several state and federal agencies.
