Basement explosion starts Streator house fire

 
STREATOR – A resident of Streator called 911 after hearing an explosion and seeing smoke coming from their basement Wednesday night. The Streator Fire Department say they were called to the 500 block of West Boys Street around 10 PM, where they found heavy smoke coming from the rear basement entrance of the single-family home. It took only five minutes for crews to extinguish the blaze. No injuries were reported and the residents of the home were being assisted by the American Red Cross. Authorities say the cause of the fire appears to be accidental.