View Google Street View of Jackson and Wacker intersection near Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) in a larger view
UPDATE: Michael Gryga, 40, has been identified as the People Gas worker who was killed Wednesday when he was struck by a bursting pipe that was undergoing pressure testing.
Chicago Fire Department responded to a gas main pipe test that went wrong in a manhole tunnel about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at Jackson and Wacker. The intersection is just southwest of Willis Tower. One worker was killed. Two other workers were injured. The victims are reported rescued from the tunnel. One victim was reported to be critically injured and transported to Stroger Hospital. The third victim is reported to be shaken up with minor or no injuries. The victim that was fatally injured was also transported to Stroger Hospital.
Chicago Fire Department sent special teams for confined space rescue and fire suppression, but apparently no hazard exists after the explosion.
Workers were using compressed air to test the pressure in a pipe, when the pipe burst, and fragments of the blown apart pipe hit the workers. No gas or fire was involved.
View Chicagoland Major Fires & Rescues/Satellite view of Jackson and Wacker in a larger map