An insurance company has filed a lawsuit against companies allegedly responsible for an explosion and fire that damaged 20 buildings, displaced 22 residents and injured two dogs in Woodstock in 2023.
State Farm Fire and Casualty Company filed a lawsuit on Wednesday in McHenry County Circuit Court against Nicor Gas, NPL Construction Company and VISU Sewer of Illinois.
The lawsuit complaint said NICOR retained NPL to install an underground gas line at Tryon Street and Lincoln Avenue in Woodstock in 2017.
While installing the gas line, NPL ran the line through a pre-existing sanitary line which remained there, the complaint said.
The complaint said VISU performed sewer service work, including work to remove a blockage from the sanitary line, on October 9, 2023.
The complaint said VISU did not use a camera to visually inspect the sanitary line prior to undertaking to clear the sewer blockage using a root cutter.
VISU struck the gas line while performing the service work, resulting in a gas leak. The rogue natural gas migrated through the sanitary line and into the home of Sue and Savannah Kies at 321 Lincoln Avenue, the complaint said.
The gas that leaked from the damaged gas line accumulated within the Kies home and suddenly ignited around 12:35 p.m., causing an explosion and fire that destroyed the Kies home, the complaint said.
Woodstock Fire/Rescue District Public Information Officer Alex Vucha said the fire district was already on the scene of the gas leak standing by when the explosion and fire occurred.
Residents and businesses in the immediate area had been notified and St. Mary Church and School across the street from the scene was evacuated.
The Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) was activated to the second alarm level and later upgraded to the fourth alarm level. Over 20 fire departments responded to the call.
A two-story house was completely destroyed by the explosion and a second adjacent house sustained significant damage from the fire in the 200 block of Lincoln Avenue, Vucha said.
The damaged homes were located directly across the street from St. Mary Church and School.
Vucha said a total of 20 structures sustained varying degrees of damage.
Two homes and a detached garage were a complete loss, Vucha said. Two additional homes were structurally uninhabitable.
A total of 22 individuals were displaced with many seeking assistance from the American Red Cross. Two family dogs were critically injured.
Two firefighters were transported to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, Vucha said. No fatalities were reported.
City officials said the gas leak was contained around 3:30 p.m. after Nicor Gas shut off the gas to the area.
“We’re on the square working and it shook the entire building and knocked stuff down. Felt like the windows were going to break. Absolutely insane. I smelled gas around 10 am this morning,” one person told Lake and McHenry County Scanner at the time.
Firefighters were on the scene for almost 24 hours. They worked throughout the night extinguishing residual hot spots and hidden fires.
The Woodstock Fire/Rescue District said in a statement on the one-year anniversary of the event that the incident was “devastating” and shook the community.
“It is nothing short of remarkable, that despite the magnitude of destruction, there were no fatalities,” the district said.
The lawsuit said State Farm paid out $767,728 on behalf of the Kieses for the damage from the explosion and fire to repair or replace their property.
Three other households also insured by State Farm in the area submitted claims with nearly $200,000 in combined damage, the complaint said.
The lawsuit seeks $959,170.52 in damages, plus additional costs, from the defendants after accusing them of being careless and negligent in their duties.
A scheduling conference has been set for June 18 in the civil case.