Chicago residents in shock after residential building explosion: 'All of a sudden I hear a boom'

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The Chicago Fire Department responds to an explosion

The Chicago Fire Department responds to an explosion in a residential area (Chicago Fire Department)

Residents living around a West Chicago building that exploded Tuesday are still in shock from the experience, with one man saying his car was crushed by debris.

The Chicago Fire Department responded to the scene Tuesday morning, ultimately transporting eight people to the hospital. Residents who lived in or near the building described feelings of shock and disbelief after the blast.

"All of a sudden, I hear boom," Otis Manning, who lives across the street, told Fox 32. "My heart almost shot out of my body. I saw windows busted open, I saw debris."

First responders arrived to find the four-story building with its roof partially collapsed. Bricks from the building's upper floor were strewn across the ground, and one vehicle was completely crushed.

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Rubble covers cars and a street following an explosion in Chicago. (Chicago Fire Department) (Chicago Fire Department)

Chicago Fire Department responds to an explosion. Several people have been injured. (Chicago Fire Department). (Chicago Fire Department)

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That vehicle reportedly belongs to Henry Mims, who said he likely would have been in the car at the time of the explosion if he hadn't been running late.

"My car is completely totaled, smashed in," Mims told Fox 32.

While the cause for the blast remains unknown, investigators have reportedly ruled out the building's gas line. The building includes 31 units, and the fire department says the blast originated in unit 301.

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The Fire Department investigation is ongoing.