Illinois woman dies nearly 2 weeks after house explosion

FREEPORT, Ill. (AP) — A northern Illinois woman has died about two weeks after she was seriously injured when her house exploded and caught fire, officials said.

Bonnie Bawinkel, 60, of Freeport died Monday evening as a result of thermal injuries from the Sept. 13 explosion, the Winnebago County Coroner’s Office said in a news release.

Bawinkel and her husband, Al, were initially treated at a Freeport hospital before being airlifted to the OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford, the Rockford Register Star reported.

Al Bawinkel is in critical condition at the medical center, a spokesman said.

The cause of the explosion in Freeport, the Stephenson County seat, remains under investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Stephenson County Sheriff’s Office.

Freeport is located about 110 miles (177 kilometers) northwest of Chicago.