CICERO, Ill. (WLS) — The couple whose Cicero home exploded on their wedding day spoke with ABC7 about how they are working to rebuild.
Tom Davis found himself in an unexpected situation when he discovered that his house had exploded while he was at his wedding, leaving him with only the dress shoes he wore that day as his current footwear.
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It happened on what was supposed to be one of the happiest days of their lives.
“I was still in my wedding dress, heels, no jacket, just standing and, yeah, just in shock,” Eleni Vrettos said.
Vrettos and Davis had just said “I do” when they say their phones started lighting up with calls that their house on Central Avenue was destroyed.
Amidst the chaos, Davis’s main concern was the safety of his cats. Once he realized there was nothing he could do at the scene, he and his partner returned to their wedding reception, seeking comfort in the company of their loved ones.
Davis says their six cats were at home at the time and are still missing.
Cicero police told ABC7 that one person was found dead in the home. Davis says they do not know who that person was.
Reflecting on the incident, Davis speculated that a possible break-in could have led to the explosion. Despite the loss they have suffered, Davis and his partner are focused on moving forward and rebuilding their lives, although the absence of their cats remains a heartbreaking reality.
Officials say the explosion caused the neighboring building to catch fire, leaving a total of 11 families displaced.
They couple says what now amounts to rubble was supposed to be the home they would start their new lives in.
“We were doing renovations on the house. We were going to make the bottom portion of it commercial and rent it out, perhaps as a storage unit while we lived up top,” Davis said.
As the community jumps into help, raising over $28,000 for the couple through a GoFundMe, Vrettos is grieving the very home she grew up in.
“The building belonged to my family for almost 40 years. Yeah, I grew up here, so I live, lived here, and I work in the community. And I mean, Cicero is all I really know,” Vrettos said.
Cicero police have yet to identify the victim in this case, and no one has been allowed on the property, because this is still an active investigation.
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