The man who died in a Cicero house explosion last month is believed to have caused the blast, which also displaced multiple families, the Cicero Police Department announced Saturday evening.
The Cook County medical examiner’s office and Cicero police identified the man as Anthony Avila-Puebla, 31, of Cicero. His remains were discovered in the debris after officers responded to the explosion around 4:52 p.m. Feb. 15 in the 2200 block of Central Avenue, police said.
During their investigation, detectives discovered that Avila-Puebla had a relationship with a family member living at the home where the explosion occurred. While that family member attended a wedding, surveillance footage shows Avila-Puebla parking his vehicle a half a block from the home, removing a five-gallon jug and entering the building, police said in a news release.
Video then shows him leaving the building with the now-empty jug and returning to his vehicle, police said. He was captured on video two more times removing multiple jugs from his vehicle and entering the building, police said.
The explosion occurred soon after his last entrance, and video does not show Avila-Puebla leaving. The jugs contained a flammable liquid, police said.
After a “thorough investigation,” police determined that Avila-Puebla was responsible for the explosion. The motive is unknown at this time, and police said they’re still investigating.
A total of 11 units and families were affected, town officials said. A neighboring building also was damaged by fire, and there was minor damage to a third adjacent building, officials said.
Tom Davis and Eleni Vrettos learned their home had exploded while they were supposed to be celebrating the happiest day of their lives — their wedding. Vrettos told the Tribune days after the explosion that she lost her beloved cats, which she called her children, in the blast.
She also said the home — and the photos and memories inside — helped her remember her father, who died in 2022 and was known as the “chef of the house.” A GoFundMe for the couple had raised more than $56,000 as of Saturday evening.
“We don’t know what comes next, but we do know we have each other,” Vrettos said at the time. “People are supportive and we’re appreciative of anyone who has reached out.”
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