Authorities have disclosed the identity of a 77-year-old man who was discovered deceased following a house blast in suburban Chicago on Tuesday.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office named the man as Timothy Toczylowski on Friday evening, confirming he was a resident of the home.
Emergency responders found the home completely destroyed after the explosion occurred around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday in Lake Zurich, according to the Lake County sheriff’s office. Toczylowski’s body was later recovered from the debris.
Officials noted that Toczylowski was identified using dental records.
Witness Tiffany Koch recounted to WLS-TV that she heard the explosion, rushed outside, and witnessed the nearby house on fire.
Part of a downed tree is tangled in power lines (Via Robin Bates/Shutterstock)
“There was this loud boom. I don’t even know how to describe it,” Koch said. “It sounded like a tree fell, but there was no real shaking except for just that quick second.”
Two other residences sustained damage. A crew from a utility company had to excavate gas lines to stop the flow of natural gas to the property, enabling firefighters to extinguish the flames, authorities reported. The coroner’s office stated on Friday that the cause of the explosion is still being investigated.
