Explosion rocks tiny Illinois town

BILLETT, Ill. (WTHI) - The tiny Illinois community of Billett was rocked and rattled by a house explosion. The blast Tuesday night was felt for miles in Lawrence County.

Parts of Mike Schick's home are spread all over the yard, in the trees and even the neighbor's yards. One person was home at the time of the blast and he survived

"We heard a big kaboom over here and it knocked all of the dishes and pictures off the wall and it was just a ball of fire," neighbor Chris Hughes said.

Local firefighters said that by the time they arrived, there was nothing to save.

"It's just like if a bomb went off in that house," Dennison Fire Chief Stanley Kelsey said.

Officials haven't finished their investigation, but believe a gas leak led to the explosion. Firefighters believe 15-year-old Cody Schick was taking a bath when the house exploded.

"Right after I called the fire and the ambulance, he came running down through the corn hollering that he was afraid he was going to die and we told him it would be all right," Hughes.

They believe the tub helped shield him from the blast that left him with burns and threw him into the nearby field.

Schick was flown to a Cincinnati hospital where he was being treated for burns and was listed in stable condition.