On Monday night, a devastating fire engulfed a Michigan industrial building, coupled with a powerful explosion that shot metal debris through the surrounding area. According to initial reports on the scene, a firefighter and one bystander have been injured by the accident.
However, Clinton Township Fire Chief Tim Duncan later confirmed on Tuesday morning that a 19-year-old bystander nearly a quarter-mile away was killed when he was struck by a flying piece of debris from the explosion. Furthermore, the fire chief noted that several fire department vehicles were damaged by shrapnel from the blast. “We don’t know if that one’s ever coming back in service,” he said, referring to one of the vehicles that was critically damaged.
The fire ignited at a business called ‘Select Distributors’, which had a significant amount of combustible material on sight, serving as the catalyst for the incident. The Clinton Township Police Department provided further details regarding the incident on their Facebook page.
“On March 4, 2024 at approximately 8:50pm, the Clinton Township Police Department responded in conjunction with the Clinton Township Fire Department to 19100 15 Mile Road for a business building named Select Distributors reported to be on fire. Upon arrival, Officers observed exploding materials flying in all directions from the building. Personnel on scene established a perimeter of security and proceeded to evacuate area residents and businesses,” the police department
wrote.
“During the course of their response, a Firefighter sustained a minor injury and both a police vehicle and fire vehicle sustained damage from the exploding projectile cannisters. A bystander sustained injuries associated with the incident and was transported to a local hospital. Both the Clinton Township Police Department and Clinton Township Fire Department requested the aid of local police and fire agencies in addition to requesting the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives citing the fact that the business operated as a novelty supply company known to stock combustible materials,” the post continued.
Witnesses on the scene noted the chaotic destruction that ensued from the fire. “There was fire everywhere, fire in the street, fire behind the building. … It was really, really crazy. I’ve never seen anything like that before,” one witness stated.
“At first, I thought it was the next door neighbor doing something … crazy outside. And the wife is like, ‘No, I just checked Facebook, there’s explosions going on.’ And I followed the plume of smoke and the shaking car, and here I am. And these are the baby explosions going off. There was much bigger ones going off earlier,” another witness described the intense destruction from the scene.
“The next thing we heard was ‘Boom!’ We thought it was car doors slamming until we saw debris flying, and I looked back and saw a fire,” another person said. “It felt like the ground was shaking, and I could feel the heat,” the continued, describing the intense nature of the explosion.
Watch footage of the devastating fire and explosion below.
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.
