Blast at Clinton Township, MI, Plant Kills Teen, Sends Firefighters Taking Cover
Editor's Note: A 19-year-old, a quarter mile down the road, was killed when he was hit by a projectile from the explosion, Clinton Township Fire Chief Tim Duncan said Tuesday morning
The Macomb Daily, Mount Clemens, Mich.
(TNS)
Mar. 4—An explosion burst through the roof of a Clinton Township industrial building Monday night, sending shrapnel flying 50 feet in the air that injured two people and ignited a stubborn fire that burned for about two hours before being brought under control.
Hundreds of heavy metal cannisters rained down on the roadways of 15 Mile and Groesbeck Highway, ripping holes in the tires of several township police and fire vehicles. Groesbeck was expected to be closed between 14 Mile and 16 Mile roads until Tuesday morning when a cleanup could begin.
People who live as far away as Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township and Warren said they could feel the impact of the blast, which took place about 9 p.m.
Clinton Township resident Jeffery Korby, who lives behind the closed Kmart store on Groesbeck across the street from where the blast took place, said he thought it was "fireworks and lightning going off at the same time."
"When I say it literally sounded like someone pulled into my carport with two 18 (inch speakers) in the trunk banging with subwoofers, that's what it felt like to me," Korby said, adding his house lost power a few minutes after the explosion.
"Everything was just rattling."
The Clinton Township Fire Department reported the blast and asked residents to stay away from the area. Tests conducted on the air quality of the area showed no hazardous air, firefighters said.
"The explosion definitely blew the building apart," Clinton Township Fire Chief Tim Duncan told The Macomb Daily just after midnight Tuesday.
Duncan said four employees who were inside the shop heard "popping sounds" and evacuated the building minutes before it exploded. He hopes internal surveillance cameras give investigators a look at what happened from the inside.
There seemed to be confusion over the name of the business as firefighters called it a supplier to Goo Smoke Shop while Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel said the blast originated at Select Distributors at 19100 15 Mile. Select Distributors sells nitrogen tanks among other things.
The building was behind American Graphics Printing and C& J Fabrication, near the Burger King.
A non-stop series of explosions could be heard for about an hour coming from the area which lit up the night sky.
Hundreds of metal cannisters littered the roadways. Investigators said the cannisters were filled with butane, nitrous oxide or propane, which could be used in the vaping cartridge process.
"With the amount of cannisters flying around, we told our people to retreat and protect themselves in their vehicles," said Duncan, the fire chief.
One firefighter was injured when one of the cannisters crashed through the windshield of a fire rig, showering him with glass. He was transported to a hospital, but is expected to be OK.
Another person was injured by a cannister that landed near a car wash on 15 Mile in what initially reported as a shooting, according to fire officials. That individual was also transported to a medical facility but their condition was not immediately know.
Duncan said it was too early to say what the cause of the explosion was that started the two-alarm blaze.
About 50 firefighters from several departments responded to the scene, including Harrison Township, Mount Clemens, Roseville, St. Clair Shores, Sterling Heights and Selfridge Air National Guard Base.
Several businesses such as gas stations and fast-food restaurants were forced to shut down Monday night.
Work crews from the Macomb County Department of Roads gathered in the Kmart parking lot preparing to fence off the area as well as removing the cannisters from the road. Officials hope to be able to open Groesbeck to motorists sometime Tuesday morning.
A little after 10 p.m., township police emphasized the danger at the evolving scene from which debris was raining down over a wide area.
"We can not stress enough the danger that is happening right now. Please, please, please stay inside and out of the vicinity. Debris is being projected into the air and coming down as far as a mile away from the explosion, so please stay out of the area and stay safe," a post on the department's Facebook page stated.
After police closed 15 Mile and Groesbeck to motorists due to the safety issue, huge traffic jams were reported in the area with many people walking to the site on an unusually warm March night.
On other social media pages, residents as far away as Shelby Township and St. Clair Shores reported hearing the blast.
"I heard something that sounded like bombs going off and ran out of my house," said Yvonne Claes, who lives near Clinton River and Garfield roads. "My house was shaking and my neighbors were all outside too.
"We didn't know what was going on."
A video posted on the Every Neighbor United for Fraser Facebook group showed a large explosion followed by a number of others in rapid succession.
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