Flora, IL- Fourth Circuit Judge Alan Buck was in serious but stable condition Sunday morning. He was injured when his house exploded.
The preliminary investigation points to a gas leak causing the series of explosions at the judge’s Flora, IL, home. Flora is in Clay County.
Witnesses describe the judge’s yard as similar to the scene after a tornado. The house was leveled, with insulation and parts of the structure throughout the neighborhood.
Judge Buck was sleeping at the time of the explosion, about 4 a.m. Saturday. He was found about 100 feet away from where the house used to be, apparently flung there by the explosion.
The explosion was so large, it also blew out windows at homes in the neighborhood.
The judge was at home alone at the time. His wife was in Springfield. Police say he suffered a cracked sternum, a broken vertebra, and second degree burns on his arms.