No answers yet in Mundelein home explosion

Lake County officials say it could be Monday afternoon before the deceased victim of Friday's house explosion in Mundelein will be identified.

Lake County Chief Deputy Coroner Orlando Portillo said police are waiting to speak with the other victim, Phillip Thomason, who remains in critical condition at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville.

"The body was burned beyond recognition," Portillo said. "We're pretty sure we know who it is but we need that confirmation from the surviving victim before anything is released."

Both victims were in the Loch Lomond neighborhood home on the village's north side Friday morning.

The blast, officials said, originated in a garage area attached to the home on the 900 block of Killarney Pass Drive, just east of Midlothian Road.

Battalion Chief Matthew Carey said Saturday that investigators were still "at least several days away from pinpointing what triggered the explosion.

"The garage is completely destroyed," Carey said. "There is a lot of work to be done there."

The blast jolted neighbors for blocks around and led them immediately to run outside to see what was happening.

Residents reported feeling the impact of dual explosions within seconds of each other.

Thick, black smoke could be seen for miles and callers jammed emergency lines about 11:30 a.m. Friday.