Fire destroys Carlock home

Dec. 24--CARLOCK -- A farmhouse in rural Carlock was destroyed by an explosion and fire Wednesday afternoon, and one resident suffered minor injuries.

The Carlock Fire Department was called to the home of Ed and Judy Laskowski, 50 County Road 2000 East, about noon following the report of an explosion at the home.

"It was a really hot fire," said Carlock Assistant Fire Chief Mike Henning. "By the time our first crew got there, the top floor had already collapsed onto the main floor."

The unusually mild, blustery weather worked against the firefighting effort.

"The winds were really strong, so we just didn't have a chance," Henning said. "It really spread quickly."

The Laskowskis were home at the time of the fire, and Ed Laskowski was slightly injured. He received treatment at OSF St. Joseph Medical Center, Bloomington for an injured arm before returning to the scene late Wednesday afternoon.

Fire units from Danvers, Carlock, Goodfield and Hudson were at the scene for more than five hours.

Smoke from the blaze could be seen from the western edge of Bloomington-Normal.

An estimate for the value of the loss was not yet available Wednesday night, and Henning said investigators were still trying to determine the cause.

"They think they have a couple of pretty good ideas," he said. "They are meeting with the insurance investigators, but they haven't released the cause yet."

Follow Kevin Barlow on Twitter: @pg_barlow

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