1 dead, a dozen homes damaged after S. Ill. blast

August 12, 2013 (DU QUOIN, Ill.) (WLS) -- A man was killed and more than a dozen homes were damaged after a weekend explosion in the southern Illinois community of Du Quoin.

The blast was reported around 9:30 a.m. Sunday and leveled one home. Authorities haven't released the name of the man who died. A second man was also injured.

Neighbors say the massive blast shook nearby buildings and broke windows. Other homes - some blocks away - were damaged by flying debris.

Millie Webb was working at a nearby Wal-Mart. She told WSIL-TV that "it sounded like the building was falling down on our heads."

Neighbor Janet Robinson told The Southern Illinoisan that nearby residents ran from their homes to figure out what happened. Then they saw smoke.

Authorities haven't said what sparked the explosion.

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