Natural gas explosions that leveled two homes and damaged a third in two days were called a coincidence by utility officials, but some residents remain unconvinced. Northern Illinois Gas Co. crews reported finding nothing unusual Monday while scouring more than 100 homes and a school within a mile radius of the explosions Thursday and Saturday in this town of 17,000 about 60 miles northwest of Chicago. ``It's just a coincidence. No relationship exists between the two explosions,'' said utility spokesman Bob Edwards. There were no serious injuries, but some residents remain uneasy. ``I was really, really upset. I couldn't sleep last night,'' said Angela Carparelli, who lives in the neighborhood. One house was leveled following an explosion on Thursday and more explosions on Saturday destroyed one house and knocked another off its foundation. Fire Chief Richard Nebel said it will probably take investigators weeks to determine the causes of the blasts. ``The leaks we know of have been stopped,'' Nebel said late Monday. ``We are taking test bores and no leaks or vapors have been found today.'' Jerry and Becky Rentschler, whose home was destroyed Saturday, said they almost left their youngest children _ Shelly, 13, and Matthew, 11 _ home while they went away for the weekend. They changed their minds at the last minute. ``I saw aluminum siding flying through the air and all of a sudden there was this big flame,'' said 12-year-old Lisa Bernau, who saw the Rentschlers' house explode. ``It was so scary.'' Minutes after another neighbor went outside to see what happened, the neighbor's house was blasted from its foundation, said Nebel. On Thursday, James Steurer, 79, was sitting on his bed tying his shoes when a gas explosion leveled his house and sent him and the mattress flying into the driveway. He suffered only cuts and scratches, noting ``absolutely, I'm lucky.'' In addition to being two days apart, the explosions were at sites about six blocks apart and in houses fed by two separate gas lines, Nebel said. Government and utility officials insist there is no need for residents to worry. ``It's one of those rare things of Mother Nature or the man above,'' said investigator Terry Pitkus of the state fire marshal's office.
A natural gas explosion leveled a house Thursday , and explosions one blocks away on Saturday leveled a second house and knocked a neighboring one off its foundation, in a town a mile northwest of Chicago . The sites were fed by one separate gas lines and Northern Illinois Gas calls the explosions coincidences. Crews found nothing unusual at 100 homes and a school within a mile radius of the explosions. The blasts' causes may not be known for Saturday . No serious injuries resulted. In weeks 's explosion, a man's mattress carried him to safety when it was sent flying into the driveway.