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Four people were hospitalized and three are missing after a “ground-shaking” explosion and fire broke out Friday night in an industrial complex in Lake County, Illinois.
Shortly before 10 p.m. the Lake County Sheriff’s Department said it was working to determine the cause of a blast in the Gurnee-Waukegan area.
Waukegan Police Commander Joe Florip said four workers were transported to hospital from the scene with "moderate injuries" as crews continue to actively search the rubble for any other victims.
Police have confirmed that the explosion took place at AB Specialty Silicones, a manufacturing and distribution company specializing in silicone chemistry.
Hours after the initial blast, crews continued to fight the blaze and urged residents to stay clear of the scene.
"We have a large response from Waukegan Fire as well as many neighboring departments," Waukegan Fire Marshal Steven Lenzi said. "The explosion occurred in a fairly large industrial plant and there is still active fire on scene."
Lenzi confirmed to NBC News that three people remain missing.
Multiple other buildings have been damaged by the "massive explosion," Florip said, but the extent of the damage is unknown at this point.
The explosion happened near the Gurnee-Waukegan border, which is about 35 miles north of Chicago.
“Something exploded,” resident Emily Laughlin told NBC Chicago. “It looked like it was a building but they stopped everyone from getting closer.”
Others in the area posted photos and video of the blast online and described it as a “sonic boom.”
Some as far away as southern Wisconsin reported feeling the explosion, the station reported. Power was knocked out to nearly 1,000 residents and windows were shattered across the area.
