Judge injured in explosion at Wheaton home

DuPage County Judge Kenneth Popejoy is recuperating after suffering injuries Sunday in a fireplace explosion at his home in Wheaton.

Wheaton firefighters were called to the home on Shagbark Lane about 11:50 a.m. Sunday, according to Fire Chief Robert Brill.

Brill said a man was injured when a wood-burning fireplace with a gas log igniter exploded. Per department policy, Brill did not give out the name of the victim. The Daily Herald learned it was Popejoy from other sources, and confirmed it with office of the 18th Judicial Circuit.

The man was treated and released that day, according to Brill.

Brill said there was a leak in the natural gas line that fed the igniter, trapping gas in the wall above the firebox. The explosion happened when more wood was placed on the fire and the flames grew larger.

There was no significant fire damage, Brill said.

Popejoy, 73, recently ended a three-year term as the chief judge for the 18th Judicial Circuit.