A 19-year-old is dead after a massive industrial fire in Detroit resulted in a series of explosions, blasting debris as far as a mile away, police said.
First responders were called to Select Distributors, which supplies novelties, phone accessories and other merchandise, Monday night. When they arrived on the scene around 8:50 p.m., officers “observed exploding materials flying in all directions from the building,” the Clinton Township Police Department said in a press release early Tuesday morning.
As firefighters battled back the flames, authorities cordoned off the area and “established a perimeter of security” before they “proceeded to evacuate area residents and businesses.”
Fire Chief Tim Duncan said four people were working inside the building Monday night. They reported hearing popping sounds and safely fled just minutes before the building exploded, sending hundreds of heavy metal canisters and other debris into the air. It rained down on the roadways of 15 Mile and Groesbeck, which were closed down on Tuesday amid cleanup efforts, the Macomb Daily reported.
During a press briefing Tuesday morning, Duncan told reporters a man, 19, was struck by a piece of shrapnel and rushed to the hospital. He was pronounced dead around 4 a.m. A firefighter also sustained minor injuries while “both a police vehicle and fire vehicle sustained damage from the exploding projectile cannisters,” according to a news release from authorities.
No further details were provided about the victims.
Around 11 p.m., Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel told reporters the blaze was mostly under control, though crews continued to battle back some flames early Tuesday morning. Authorities noted that they did not know what was burning or the potential health effects, but said Select Distributors was “known to stock combustible materials” and urged people in the area to stay inside.
While it’s also unclear what sparked the fire, Duncan said the flames caused butane canisters at the facility, located at 19100 15 Mile Road, to explode. The blaze remains under investigation.
With News Wire Services
