April 26 (Reuters) - An explosion possibly caused by a gas leak destroyed a house in a Chicago suburb and damaged up to 30 other homes on Friday night but did not leave anyone seriously hurt, a local sheriff's official said.
The explosion was reported at about 10.30 p.m. local time in the village of Long Grove, about 30 miles (48 km) northwest of downtown Chicago. It was loud enough to be heard two towns away, Lake County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sergeant Gianni Giamberduca said on Saturday.
"We had people calling in thinking it was an earthquake," Giamberduca said.
A woman who lived in the house that was leveled had either stepped outside at the time of the explosion or managed to escape before her home collapsed around her, he said.
A few other people in the area were left with minor cuts and bruises, he said, and about 25 to 30 other houses were damaged by the explosion.
The sheriff's office is still probing the cause of the explosion in the Illinois village but investigators believe it was probably due to a natural gas leak, Giamberduca said. (Reporting by Jonathan Allen, Editing by Alex Dobuzinskis)
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