One dead in 'massive explosion' in Illinois town

Fire truck.
(Image credit: iStock.)

One person died and four others were injured in an Illinois town on Friday night after an explosion at a silicone plant.

The blast occurred at AB Specialty Silicones in Waukegan, Illinois, which is about 40 miles north of Chicago. Joe Florip, a Waukegan police spokesperson, said he would “categorize this as a massive explosion” that damaged neighboring properties.

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The fire has been extinguished, however. No cause has been determined for the explosion, but authorities did say they have no concern about air quality.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.