WATCH: Surveillance camera captures Chicago building explosion

Published: Sep. 22, 2022 at 11:27 AM EDT
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CHICAGO (WLS) - The cause of a Chicago building explosion and collapse remained under investigation Wednesday.

Surveillance video captured the moment of the explosion on camera.

In the video, a woman stands on the sidewalk right before the four-story apartment building explodes. She then is seen running in terror, dodging bricks, cement and shards of glass spewing into the street.

The collapse and explosion on Tuesday left eight people injured, including three who were seriously injured.

Other victims of the blast are trying to figure out where they will start over with what little they have left.

Mack Julion is a colleague of one of the victims injured in the incident. He said the man worked as a postal worker, was inside the building and was among the rubble.

“His condition, he’s in very serious condition right now,” Julion said.

Another camera angle of the blast shows a bright orange flash of the explosion. In that mere instant, the homes and lives of dozens of families were shattered.

“All of our stuff is covered with debris, dust, glass, ceiling. I’m talking about everything is smashed up,” an anonymous resident, not comfortable with sharing their name, said.

Residents returned Wednesday morning during an allotted 30-minute window to grab what they could.

“Your heart just drops when you think people who were in that building when it occurred,” the building’s owner, Roman Viere, said.

The Red Cross and Circle Urban Ministries stepped up to provide immediate relief.

“Now, the question is, ‘Where do I put my things? and ‘Where do I go next?’” James Borishade, the CEO of Circle Urban Ministries, said.

An anonymous resident said the owner and building management aren’t offering enough.

“They’re trying to put us inside of another apartment that is $150 more than what we’re paying for rent right now,” they said.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the apartment rental agency Urban Alternatives said in part, “For all residents, Urban Alternatives will transfer their rents and deposits to cover expenses at their new homes.”

With their homes lost without explanation, it’s now an hour-by-hour struggle for the displaced residents.

Authorities are still trying to figure out what caused the blast.

The owner said he’s not sure if people will ever be able to return to live in that building.