Fires & Explosions

Governor Bob Ferguson has described the local paper mill tragedy in Longview, Washington as the deadliest industrial tragedy in the state’s modern history. Eleven people have died, and many more may have been injured as a result of a tank explosion damaging much of a plant that released toxic fluid called white liquor, a caustic mixture used to turn wood chips into paper pulp. “It is imperative that a company provide a safe workplace,” said…

On Tuesday, May 12, 2026, Clifford Law Offices filed three lawsuits on behalf of people who were injured in a horrific gas explosion on May 6 at a west suburban Des Plaines condo near O’Hare Airport. Bradley M. Cosgrove, partner at Clifford Law Offices, filed the lawsuits in Cook County Circuit Court alleging negligence on the part of NICOR gas company and the building management company, Tom Dase Management LLC of Park Ridge, IL. Residents…

A fire in a parking garage in Chicago’s River North neighborhood on Saturday, December 29th left one person dead and four others injured who are reported in critical condition. Flames and heavy black smoke captured on cell phone video surrounded the area and were shooting from the roof of the building at Hubbard Avenue and Orleans Street about 1:20 p.m. Smoke could be seen for blocks and the roof was charred from the fire. Investigators…

An explosion on the Metra train tracks on Saturday, Nov. 3, 2018, near the Grayland station has killed one worker and badly injured another. Two welders were working in the 4500 block of West Byron Street when the tragedy occurred, according to officials. The two men were taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center where one tragically died. There were reportedly 17 workers in the area repairing the tracks. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is…

News reports on the house in Homer Glen that exploded yesterday (Dec. 15, 2016) following an apparent Nicor gas leak show a residence that is completely destroyed. The father and daughter who lived in that home remain at Loyola Medical Center, and the entire Chicago area prays for their recovery. Homer Glen officials reportedly are allowing some of the nearly two dozen evacuated residents in a two-mile radius of that home to return to their…

Two family members were injured late Thursday afternoon when their house exploded in southwest suburban Homer Glen due to what officials on the scene are attributing to a gas leak. Neighbors reported the smell of gas outside before the house exploded at the intersection of South Parker Road and 143rd Street. People within a two-mile radius were asked to evacuate the area and were put up at the village’s Community Room. The Red Cross provided…

Robert A. Clifford, partner at Clifford Law Offices obtained an $18.5 million settlement on behalf of two workers who were severely injured in a flash fire during a derailment cleanup in Kentucky. The case was dismissed today in the Circuit Court of Jefferson County in Louisville, Kentucky. Belleville, Illinois residents Tony Carillo, 38, and Greg Powers, 28, both employees of RJ Corman Derailment Services of Nicholasville, Kentucky, were badly injured in a Level 3 haz-mat…

A fire broke out in an apartment on the 50th floor of the John Hancock Building Saturday afternoon (Nov. 21, 2015) on Michigan Avenue as thousands prepared to watch the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival that included a parade of 40 floats in anticipation of the holiday season. Five people were injured, most suffering smoke inhalation. Among the injured was a Chicago police officer. The apartment dweller where the fire broke out reportedly got out safely….

A garage explosion that rocked the far north suburban neighborhood of Mundelein has reportedly left one person killed and another injured, according to a report by the Chicago Tribune. Fire officials responded to numerous calls from residents in the area of the 900 block of Killanary Pass Drive at about 11:30 a.m. Friday (Jan. 2, 2015). Fire officials reported that the explosion started in the garage behind the house and fire quickly spread to the…