Neighbors in Portage are mourning the loss of a longtime resident after a reported home explosion and fire that happened shortly after severe storms moved through the city Tuesday.
Portage police said one person died in the incident. Officials say the cause of the explosion remains under investigation.
The homeowner, who did not want to speak on camera, told ABC7 he had just left for a doctor's appointment when the explosion happened.
Neighbors said many residents had just stepped outside to assess storm damage when they heard a loud explosion.
"They're very nice neighbors," Jojo Balce said.
As residents begin cleaning up from the storm, many are also grieving the loss of a neighbor.
"She was really a sweet person," neighbor Michael Ritter said.
Ritter lives next door to the couple whose home once stood along Harrison Avenue. He said the husband was away at a medical appointment when tragedy struck.
In Portage, Indiana, the mayor said one person had died after a home explosion, and some are being evacuated amid downed power lines.
"Jerry happened to be at the doctor's office. She was going to go with him, but he said, 'Oh a friend is taking me,'" Ritter said.
Ritter said he and his wife were inside their home when they heard the explosion.
"I was trying to just going to start moving some stuff and all of a sudden there was a tremendous explosion and my wife said she saw through the window in the garage, the house lifted up and came crashing back down," Ritter said.
Balce said he and his wife were checking on neighbors after the storm when he noticed what he believed was the smell of gas.
"I got out, checked on my neighbor, checked on her. And then as soon as she opened the door and as I was talking to her, I said, 'smells like gas,'" Balce said.
"Then maybe that's two, three minutes later. Explosion," he said.
Another neighbor, Pat McLeod, described seeing the blast.
"The debris went way up into the sky. I saw chairs and wood. Then immediately started on fire," McLeod said.
McLeod said storm damage made it difficult for emergency responders to reach the neighborhood.
"The fire department could not get down our street because of all the trees that had fallen. The fire dept. is just down the road, but they couldn't get here," she said.
During a Tuesday evening news conference, Portage officials said reports of a suspected house explosion came in around 12:20 p.m., shortly after the storm passed through the city.
"There was a related house fire around 12:20 p.m. shortly after the storm passed through," Portage Police Capt. Rob Maynard said. "Fire crews and police officers received a report of what is suspected were going to house explosion."
Officials said first responders faced significant challenges reaching the scene because roads across the city were blocked by fallen trees and power lines.
"For us, it seemed that every road had a tree down every, every way," Portage Police Chief Michael Candiano said. "There were several officers actually parked about a mile away and ran on foot through neighborhoods, trying to get to the home."
Fire Chief Chris Crail said crews worked to find a route to the scene as storm damage covered roadways throughout the city.
"It was quite delayed for us to be able to get there because of the amount of trees and power lines that were down," Crail said. "When the crews did get there, they went to work immediately."
Officials said they believe the storm may have played a role in the tragedy but cautioned that investigators are still working to determine exactly what happened.
"Obviously, we think that the storm played a role in this tragedy today, but we won't have a confirmation for that for probably a couple of days, if not longer, depending on what the investigation uncovers," Maynard said.
Before firefighters arrived, Ritter said neighbors attempted to help but were forced to back away because of the intensity of the flames.
"We were trying to run hoses my wife was panicking because we were all getting too close and then we just quit. We couldn't there's nothing we could do. And that makes it really, really hard," Ritter said.
As cleanup continues across Portage, neighbors say the emotional recovery may take even longer.
"It's awful. It's horrible," McLeod said.
The explosion happened as a rare derecho moved across the Chicago area, spawning at least three tornadoes in the south suburbs.
During a press conference on Tuesday evening, police said there have been gas leaks in the city. Additionally, Indiana State Police urged residents, especially those in Porter and Lake counties, to get their gas in Illinois, as many gas stations in northwest Indiana are running out.
Portage's mayor has issued an emergency declaration due to the storms and said some residents are being evacuated amid downed power lines. An emergency center has been established at City Hall, 6070 Central Ave.
SEE ALSO | Track power outages in your area with the ABC7 Chicago Power Outage Tracker
The City of Portage also asked the public to avoid unnecessary travel to allow emergency personnel, utility crews, and other responders the space necessary to safely perform their duties.
Several people in Portage suffered minor injuries from falling trees and storm damage. Officials said some vehicles were crushed by trees, but no serious injuries were reported.
Wide swaths of trees were knocked down in Portage, and a large tree came down on a garage in Gary at 29th Place near Gerry Street.
A large, downed tree could be seen burning in Gary at 29th Place near Gerry Street.
The whole thing caught fire, and several firefighters responded. There were not reports of injuries.
Near Lowell, Indiana, a semi rolled over, blocking part of Interstate 65.
I-65 is closed in both directions north of I-94 due to downed power lines.
North of Interstate 94, I-65 is closed in both directions due to downed power lines.
A semi rolled over on I-65, blocking traffic.
Maryanne Reid, who works inside a warehouse in Highland, provided ABC7 with a video showing Styrofoam that was being used for roof repair flying on top of cars.
Some cars were still buried with their windows damaged on Tuesday afternoon. Reid said she and her coworkers ran for cover.
"That weather came in, it just it just ripped it all off," she said. "This is probably the most intense storm I saw."
In Lake Station, Indiana, an entire neighborhood suffered significant storm damage. Families told ABC7 they are counting their blessings.
"I was glad that they weren't here, because probably a death would have happened," said Kelly Hounshell. "The whole house is destroyed. The tree went from the back all the way through the front, the kitchen, living room, and the bathroom, and that's where they spend most of their time while they're here is in the living room and in the kitchen. So, I'm just glad that they weren't here."
Hounshell said there were multiple animals inside the home during the storms. ABC7 was there when they pulled out two unharmed puppies.
The Town of Munster is assessing storm damage and encouraged residents to proceed with caution.
Munster officials asked residents to report downed power lines to NIPSCO at 1-800-464-7726.
Public Works and Munster Police are coordinating to asses the damage and begin repair efforts.
The Gary Community School Corporation will be closed on Wednesday due to school building conditions.
School Town of Munster, Portage Township School Corporation, and Duneland School Corporation said their first day of school, scheduled for Wednesday, has been canceled.
DSC cited "severe storm damage throughout the community, including impassable roads, power outages, and flooding."
The Town of Chesterton's Facebook page will provide updates as additional information becomes available.
The National Weather Service is sending survey teams to southern Cook County in Illinois and Lake and Porter counties in Indiana.
And on Tuesday night, there is an overnight Level 2 risk for severe weather due possible storms that could redevelop around midnight and produce large to very large hail.