Wedding Day Tragedy: Groom and Bride’s Home Explodes, Guest Found Dead in Rubble

Collage of a couple, with their house destroyed in the background due to an explosion.

A bride and groom’s home exploded while they were out tying the knot — allegedly blown up by one of their own wedding guests, who was later found dead in the rubble.

Tom Davis and Eleni Vrettos were exchanging vows in Cicero, a Chicago suburb, just a day after Valentine’s Day when their home was suddenly engulfed in flames. The newlyweds, who had no insurance at the time, were left displaced by the explosion.

While Tom Davis and Eleni Vrettos were tying the knot, a wedding guest slipped out to blow up the couple’s house

“I ran here in my wedding dress, down the alley, and was watching from a neighbor’s yard,” Vrettos said, recalling how she started receiving messages about the explosion just minutes after saying, “I do.”

Authorities identified the body found in the wreckage as 31-year-old Anthony Avila-Puebla, who is believed to have caused the explosion. The suspect, who was in a relationship with someone living in the house, had attended the wedding but slipped away during the ceremony.

Anthony Avila-Puebla’s body was found in the rubble after the explosion. He is blamed for blowing up the house. Cicero Police Department

Surveillance footage showed Avila-Puebla parking his car near the couple’s home, carrying at least two jugs of a flammable liquid inside — and never coming back out.

While no one else was inside at the time, six cats that lived there are now missing. The explosion also spread to a neighboring building, leaving 11 families displaced.

The fire expanded to a neighboring building, displacing 11 families

A GoFundMe campaign raised nearly $57,000 for the Vrettos family, who had owned the home for nearly 40 years. The couple had been in the process of remodeling and switching home insurance policies, leaving them without coverage for the devastating loss.

“This home was more than just a house — it was where Eleni grew up, where she and Tom had moved in to start their new life together, and where the family had built countless memories over the years,” the fundraiser read.

Cicero police continue to investigate the incident.

Cicero police and fire have responded to the scene