Series of Clinton Township explosions 'was like a war zone' as debris was found 2 miles away

FOX 2 (WJBK) - Shrapnel from Monday night's Clinton Township building fire and series of explosions left a vast debris field covering two miles, officials said in a 4 p.m. press conference today.

Officials are warning residents not to handle canisters which could still lead to pressure explosions. About 25 have been recovered from roofs of houses and businesses, as well as embedded in yards throughout the blast area of the township. The canisters have been turned over to the Michigan State Police Bomb Squad.

The explosions came from Goo and Select Distributors at 15 Mile and Groesbeck, and fatally injured a 19-year-old who later died from his injuries. He was about a quarter mile away from the blast when he hit near a car wash. His identity has not been released yet.

A firefighter was also injured but is expected to recover, while officials did say that owners of the business are cooperating with investigators. The company had nitrous oxide, butane canisters, and lighter fluid inside. These materials exploded repeatedly and officials said they were not not legally authorized to store the amount of items they had inside.

Four employees were inside the building at time of the incident fulfilling online orders, but were able to evacuate safely, officials said.

Cleanup is ongoing and presenting a larger challenge than anticipated, said Supervisor Robert J. Cannon. The local state of emergency continues, but 15 Mile Road has now been re-opened and will remain so for the duration of the investigation.

Canisters may still be active

Many people have been coming over to the explosion site Tuesday morning to grab pieces of shrapnel or even look for vapes. Clinton Township officials are warning that the canisters might still be active and are asking the public to stay away as the investigation continues.

"We encourage, again, people not to go out looking for souvenirs. This is not a game," he said. "These things are dangerous. They are containers that are still exploding - not very many, but it is still dangerous."

Some canisters were still exploding on Tuesday, a day after the incident.

Balfour is securing the site with fencing as police continue to secure the area. Michigan State Police and the ATF are assisting the investigation, while the city heard from as far away as the Intergovernmental Affairs Department of the White House.

"We have collected 15 yards of debris as far out as two miles," said Scott Kleinfeld, Department of Public Services. "We have all sidewalks cleared and right of ways cleared for public safety. We want to stress that for people picking these canisters up there is a danger there."

Most of the debris was metal shrapnel from the butane and nitrous gas canisters, along with 100,000 vape pens. In the fire, the pressurized canisters became missiles. 

19-year-old killed by flying canister was watching the flames

Many, along with the 19-year-old victim, were watching the chaos unfold when he was struck by shrapnel Monday night.

Nico G, one of the witnesses, said he did not see the teenager get hit, but he heard people screaming for help. As he walked around the car, he saw the teenager laying on the ground.

"It was awful to see. That’s all I can say. Awful," Nico recounted. "Being as dark as it was, nobody could’ve seen it coming. It could’ve been me and I was standing not even 8 feet away."

However, Nico said the safety crews did a good job of keeping the crowds back.

"I’m glad they did what they did. It could’ve been a lot more people hurt if they didn’t tell us to get back," he added.

Clinton Township Fire Chief Tim Duncan said that it was "unbelievable" that there were no other injuries or fatalities, adding that everyone has been accounted for from nearby businesses and residences.

"It was basically a war zone, you had shrapnel going off everywhere you looked," Duncan said. "If you're standing outside you are wondering when is the next piece coming my way. When is it going to hit us. It's hitting our vehicles, as we're in vehicles it's careening off of them. We had a number of our fire engines and police vehicles that were hit.

Several nearby businesses were forced to close after the damage their buildings suffered. 

American Graphics Printing Co. has to wait for repairs to their roof before it is safe for DTE to turn the power back on, Nicholas Hindman said.

"You can see the aftermath of everything right here. The canisters that have covered our yard," he added.

Anyone who continues to find debris on their property is asked to call 586-469-5502.

"Under no circumstances should canisters be handled or moved, as they may be dangerous with sharp edges," according to a release from the township's community relations office. 

"We had helmets on, we had gear on, if that thing is coming, you are going to suffer some severe consequences. I don't think we think about it upfront, we are trained to do some dangerous things - but it is when you take a step back later, that it overcomes you."

Officials said there is a tool on the website to report damage for data collection, but not for damage reporting for insurance purposes.