A 64-year-old man is dead after a natural gas explosion caused a fire at an apartment building Wednesday in Oak Park.
The explosion occurred about 5:30 p.m. in the 200 block of South Maple Avenue, Oak Park spokesperson Dan Yopchick said.
David Rechs was taken to Loyola University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead about 8:30 p.m. Thursday, according to officials and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.
The explosion set the building ablaze and knocked down sections of a wall, leaving about 12 other residents displaced, Yopchick said.
A preliminary investigation indicated a natural gas explosion inside the building, officials said.
An investigation is ongoing.
