“No one was killed, praise the Love of God,” said one neighborhood resident, walking away from the blast site this morning.
Officials reported no fatalities from last night's blast – which is remarkable considering the extent of its damage. The explosion, which took place last night at about 11:15pm, totally leveled a newly built vacant house and garage. The blast was felt throughout a large part of the city.
Pictured from the west, looking east, the blast totally destroyed
the home and garage and inflicted extensive damage to the two buildings
across the street, housing Atlas Gym and the Kenosha Flea Market.
At 2113 55th Street, the house sat right on one of the city's busiest north/south thoroughfares, 22nd Avenue. The blast, thought to be the result of a gas leak, was strong enough to break three second story windows at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church, one block south and three blocks east of the site.
Signs on church doors this morning announced there would be no mass, adoration or confessions due to “possible structural damage”. The church's preschool and Frank Elementary School, both in the neighborhood, were conducting classes today.
Signs on church doors this morning announced there would be no mass,
adoration or confessions due to “possible structural damage”.
By noon today, numerous shattered windows in a one block radius around last night's blast had been boarded up. Repair persons, city workers, insurance company employees and a Milwaukee media wagon all walked the neighborhood, surveying damage.
With temperatures in the 20's and snow projected just a few hours
away, residents within a one block radius of the blast
wasted no time getting windows boarded up.
22nd Avenue was thick with traffic rerouted from 60th Street due to an unrelated fire closing that street this morning. Countless cars slogged by, their progress made slower as drivers rubbernecked to see what was left of the house at the blast sight.
The remains of the house at 2113 55th Street as seen from 55th Street.
Where once has stood a newly built home and garage, drivers saw nothing but an exposed foundation littered with small piles of lumber.
The west face of Atlas Gym shows extensive damage.
Picture shot from a northwest angle.
Buildings housing businesses across 22nd Avenue – Atlas Gym (directly across the street) and the Kenosha Flea Market (one half block south) suffered heavy damage. At the time of the blast there was one resident in an apartment above the gym. Emergency responders found him inside the building, making his way downstairs from his apartment. Either part of the ceiling or the roof had collapsed in his quarters. It is not known if he needed medical attention.
The outer walls of Atlas Gym showed outward bowing (north facing, above) and
cracks and fissures along joints along the mortar (east facing, below).
Windows in the Flea Market were blown out. The stone walls of Atlas Gym showed numerous cracks along mortared joints, running both vertically and horizontally. The second floor outer wall along Atlas' north side showed some outward bowing. Virtually all of the windows on the side of the building facing 22nd Avenue were blown in.
For more information on this story just Google “Kenosha Explosion”.
You said this was new construction? Did it pass inspection, I wonder.
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