Mall Explosion in Waukegan, Illinois

A longtime friend of mine, Madeleine, has worked and lived in Waukegan, Illinois, for five years now. She is one of the few people I still have a close relationship with from school, and despite the distance, we visit one another several times a year.

Today I was in the middle of doing laundry when the radio reported a gas explosion at a mall in Waukegan. I know that my friend usually eat lunch out every day, and as her work is only a few blocks away from the mall I rushed to find the phone.

As the phone was ringing I prayed and prayed that she would pick up, but I was sent to voice mail. I tried a few more times over the next ten minutes, but without luck. Madeleine never goes anywhere without her phone, so I got more and more worried when I couldn't get an answer.

Finally after 20 minutes of pacing back and forth through the kitchen, Madeleine returned my call. She was fine, she told me. Sure enough she had been having lunch with some colleagues from work, at a small restaurant a block away. They had just got their food when the whole building shook from the blast, and there were people screaming and storming out on the streets. At first she had no idea what was happening, she explained it as unreal. Sirens were everywhere, and people were running all over the streets.

Madeleine and her colleagues finally managed to learn what had happened from a police officer, and they were told to go to a safe distance away.

Back at work they were desperately trying to get a hold of friends whom they knew were at the mall at the time of the explosion, and luckily everyone was OK. She then had to end the phone call as she needed to call other people to let them know she was fine.

NBC now reports that there were no deaths, but nine injuries as a result of the explosion. The fire department is almost completely sure that the incident was caused by a gas explosion.

When I saw that AC had a call for content about this case, I knew I had to write it after I calmed down. Madeleine has been a friend of mine since I was a kid, and she is pretty much considered a family member. I'm an aunt to her children, and we go on trips together every year. To think how close she was to be seriously injured is unreal, and I thank God that no one got killed.

The gas explosion at Waukegan, Illinois, could have had a much worse outcome than it did, and it's horrifying to think how fast lives can change. Madeleine was just out having lunch, and without any warning she was suddenly in the middle of a big mall explosion. As a close friend I am so relieved to know that she walked away from it without any injuries, and something like this makes you stop for a while and think about what's important in life.