By Len Wells
Evansville Courier and Press
MOUNT VERNON, Ill. — A van crashed into a Mount Vernon, Illinois apartment complex Tuesday morning, causing a major fire that displaced more than 30 residents.
A spokesman for the Mount Vernon Fire Department said the van struck the side of the 24-unit Garden Glen Apartments on Veterans Drive around 3 a.m., causing a gas leak and subsequent explosion. One Mount Vernon firefighter suffered a shoulder injury in the explosion.
He was treated and released and released at a local hospital and is now recuperating at home.
Twelve units in the northern section of the complex were destroyed. The other twelve units sustained heavy smoke and water damage. Damages will likely top $1 million, a fire department official said.
Firefighters from Mount Vernon, Jefferson Rural Fire Department, Woodlawn and Waltonville battled the blaze.
The van driver, whose name has not been released by Mount Vernon police, is being held in the Jefferson County Detention Center on preliminary charges of drunk driving.
Copyright 2016 Evansville Courier and Press
All Rights Reserved