Waukegan (eCanadaNow) - Several people were reported injured in an apparent explosion around noon today at a shopping mall in Waukegan, Illinois.
CNN is reporting that as many as nine people have been injured. No deaths have been reported.
Police and firefighters say they are still searching to determine if others are inside.
Waukega Deputy Fire Chief Dan Young said the explosion was "very large.""It actually lifted the roof from the building and set it right back down, which caused the collapse," Young told MSNBC. "You have to assume (a gas leak), but at this time we haven't made a determination."
"We had reports of people strewn about the streets but it was actually mannequins from the (tuxedo rental) business," Young added.
A hair salon, a tuxedo store and a cellular phone store appeared to be damaged, according to televised images of the site.
The police believe a natural gas leak caused the explosion, the Chicago Tribune reported. Gas and electricity has been cut off in surrounding area.
Crews from
People's Gas are on the scene. Waukegan has a population of nearly 90,000 people and located on the shore of Lake Michigan about 60 Kilometres north of Chicago.
