Rockton, IL – Update – The Winnebago County Coroner has identified the man whose body was found in the rubble after a house explosion in Rockton.
Investigators say they believe Valerio Korsh was working on a gas stove the night before the explosion. They say it’s possible Korsh did not tighten a valve or left the gas running which could have caused the explosion.
After Sunday’s explosion, a woman who was also inside the house was taken to a Madison hospital with severe burns. The Dane County Medical Examiner has confirmed that she has died.
A Rockton woman is fighting for her life after being thrown out of her home when it exploded. The man who was buried under the rubble has been found, his body so badly burned the coroner is using dental records to identify him.
Five K9’s searched for the man, however fire fighters found the victim in the basement near the stairs. Investigators say the couple was getting ready for church when the house exploded.
What was once a home full of love and life on Moffett Road still smolders more than 24 hours after it was blown to pieces. All that’s left is ashes and debris, along with a few items that withstood the heat: A colander, a rope, and an old piece of furniture.
“It was a very, very hot, very intense fire,” Rockton Fire Chief Kirk Wilson, said.
Fire investigators now believe the explosion was caused by a propane gas stove, installed the night before.
“With LP it’s dense so it stays low to the ground so what may have happened, and like I said this is just speculation, that the LP accumulated in the basement area and possibly a spark or something may have set that explosion,” Chief Wilson said.
The man killed in the fire was found in the basement, severely burned after hours of careful searching.
“You have to be so careful because they were looking very hard for the body to recover it. When there’s a body there they have to be so careful, and they were,” Winnebago County Coroner Sue Fiduccia, said.
The blast itself was so strong the garage door flew about 35 feet into the driveway.
Fire fighters say gas leaks are more common than we may think, however a blast of this magnitude is rare.
“Especially if you’re working with electrical or any kind of gas type of appliance, leave that stuff for the professionals and let them do it to make sure that number one, it gives you piece of mind that it’s installed correctly,” Chief Wilson said.
As far as this case is concerned, fire investigators aren’t sure if the stove was installed by a professional or by the homeowners.
The woman who was burned is in a Madison hospital in critical condition.