Fire chief: Teen killed by falling debris at blast site
Investigation into what caused the fire and explosion is underway
Clinton Township police and fire officials are working with Michigan State Police and federal ATF agents in trying to determine what caused a massive explosion and secondary blasts Monday night at a warehouse that killed a township resident, injured a firefighter and sent metal cannisters flying through the air.
Authorities spent Tuesday on cleanup operations for Select Distributors, which shared a building with a business named Goo on 15 Mile Road, just west of Groesbeck Highway. The building was destroyed in the explosion.
“The explosion definitely blew the building apart,” township Fire Chief Tim Duncan said early Tuesday. “The area around it was like a war zone, there was so much debris from the explosion.”
Police said a 19-yearold Clinton Township died Tuesday morning at a hospital after being struck by shrapnel. He apparently was observing the explosion scene at a 15 Mile car wash when he was hit, in what initially was thought to be the result of gunfire.
“That was due to the chaos of the scene,” said Police Chief Dina Caringi. “We had projectiles falling from different directions and the loud explosions so it was determined to be a gunshot would before we found it wasn’t gunfire.”
The teen’s name was not released.
A veteran township firefighter
was also injured by the shrapnel, officials said.
Police issued a news release on what led to multiple fire and police agencies assisting at the scene, centered at Select Distributors, which police is owned by the same organization that owns Goo.
The company sells vaping materials, novelties, electronics and other merchandise to discount and convenience stores. Fire officials say it also supplied gas canisters for the local vaping industry for vape pens, along with other products.
It’s not yet known what started the fire.
According to the fire chief, four employees were inside the shop working on filling online orders when they heard “popping sounds” and evacuated the building minutes before it exploded. Investigators hope internal surveillance cameras give investigators a look at what happened from the inside.
About 50 firefighters from several Macomb County communities responded to the massive blast, which occurred around 8:50 p.m. Monday.
“Upon arrival, officers observed exploding materials flying in all directions
from the building,” an early morning release from the Clinton Township Police Department stated.
As the blaze raged, firefighters worked to contain it while police cordoned off the area.
“Personnel on scene established a perimeter of security and proceeded to evacuate area residents and businesses,” police reported.
Hundreds of heavy football-sized metal canisters 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 closed between 14 Mile and 16 Mile roads until Tuesday morning when a cleanup began even as hot spots flared up and small secondary explosions were reported. Groesbeck re-opened Tuesday morning. It was followed by 15 Mile Road later in the day in order to let CN Rail assess its railroad.
The Macomb County Department of Roads had personnel on the scene as the fire wound down Monday night.
Bryan Santo, director of the Roads Department, said work crews set up road closures to support the emergency response to the incident and will continue to work with authorities while cleanup work continues. Once all the material is removed, street sweeping work was planned. Rainy weather late Tuesday morning slowed the process.
Concerned residents who live near the blast location said Monday night they didn’t know what to think when the explosion caused homes and business to shake. Many took to the streets to catch a glimpse of the flames in the night sky.
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 and thunder 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.”
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.
In addition to the deceased teen, one Clinton Township firefighter was injured when a cannister crashed into the windshield of his fire truck, showering him praying him with glass, officials said. He was transported to a hospital, but is expected to be OK.
He was identified as Matt Myers, who has been with the Clinton Township Fire Department for approximately 10 years, the chief said.