Current:Home > BackMichigan residents urged not to pick up debris from explosive vaping supplies fire that killed 1-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Michigan residents urged not to pick up debris from explosive vaping supplies fire that killed 1
View Date:2024-12-23 15:33:09
CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Authorities investigating a fire and explosions that rocked a suburban Detroit building filled with vaping industry supplies, killing one man as gas canisters soared up to 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) away, urged residents Friday not to pick up any debris because they still pose potential hazards.
The renewed warning about debris came as officials said their investigation into Monday night’s fire isn’t expected to begin in earnest until next week because the gutted building is filled with fallen steel beams that first need to be removed with heavy machinery.
Clinton Township Fire Chief Tim Duncan said debris is still smoldering inside the ruins but fire officials hope weekend rain will douse those areas so removal of the steel beams can begin next week.
“Obviously heavy equipment is going to have to get in there and start picking that apart so we can get to the bottom of what’s going on there during the investigation,” he said at a news briefing.
Duncan said more than 2 million gallons (7.57 million liters) of water has been poured on the building since Monday and fire crews have been on the scene continuously since Monday night.
Officials said a 19-year-old man was killed when he was struck by a flying gas cannister about a quarter of a mile (0.40 kilometers) from the building as ignited cannisters were rocketing away from the fire.
Duncan said Tuesday the gutted building had housed a distributor for the vaping industry called Goo, which had more than 100,000 vape pens stored on-site. Duncan said a truckload of butane canisters had arrived within the past week at the building and more than half of that stock was still there when the fire began.
Goo had received a township occupancy permit in September 2022 for the 26,700-square-foot (2,480-square-meter) building as a retail location for a “smoke shop/vape store” that would sell paraphernalia for vape products, Barry Miller, superintendent for Clinton Township’s Building Department, has said.
But while Goo had asked about getting zoning approval for using the building for warehousing and distribution, Miller said Tuesday that the township’s planning department told the company local zoning only allowed for retail.
Clinton Township Supervisor Bob Cannon said he has spoken with Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido and said his office’s “major crimes unit is ready to work with our police department when it comes time.”
“We will find out through our investigation what happened, who did it, who’s responsible and somebody will be held accountable,” Cannon said Friday.
Clinton Township Fire Marshal Chuck Champagne said a team of fire investigators was still being assembled that will include members of the township’s fire and police departments, Michigan State Police, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and private investigators.
Cannon and other officials urged residents not to pick up cannisters and other fire debris, with Cannon saying he’s seen “people out there picking things up and taking them home as souvenirs.”
“Please don’t do that, it’s very, very dangerous,” he said.
Mary Bednar, Clinton Township’s director of public services, said staff from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have started collecting potential hazardous fire debris, including vape pens and lithium batteries, and are working to assess debris in the neighborhoods and areas around the site.
Cannon said the EPA was expected to have about 20 people working to remove debris from neighborhoods and other areas in the days ahead.
veryGood! (46)
Related
- Here's what 3 toys were inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame this year
- New ‘Dexter’ sequel starring Michael C. Hall announced at Comic-Con
- Nevada attorney general appeals to state high court in effort to revive fake electors case
- A strike from Lebanon killed 12 youths. Could that spark war between Israel and Hezbollah?
- Indiana man is found guilty of murder in the 2017 killings of 2 teenage girls
- Beyoncé introduces Team USA during NBC coverage of Paris Olympics opening ceremony: Watch
- 1 killed in Maryland mall shooting in food court area
- Tom Cruise, Nick Jonas and More Are Team USA's Best Cheerleaders at Gymnastics Qualifiers
- The state that cleared the way for sports gambling now may ban ‘prop’ bets on college athletes
- Olympic gymnastics women's recap: Simone Biles puts on a show despite tweaking left calf
Ranking
- Stressing over Election Day? Try these apps and tools to calm your nerves
- Why Alyssa Thomas’ Olympic debut for USA Basketball is so special: 'Really proud of her'
- How Olympic Gymnast Suni Lee Combats Self-Doubt
- Boar's Head issues recall for more than 200,000 pounds of liverwurst, other sliced meats
- Democrat Janelle Bynum flips Oregon’s 5th District, will be state’s first Black member of Congress
- Rafael Nadal will compete in singles at the Paris Olympics, his manager tells the AP
- Grimes' Mom Accuses Elon Musk of Withholding Couple's 3 Kids From Visiting Dying Relative
- Anthony Edwards up for challenge against US women's table tennis team
Recommendation
-
Steelers shoot for the moon ball, but will offense hold up or wilt in brutal final stretch?
-
Simone Biles competes in Olympics gymnastics with a calf injury: What we know
-
'Love Island UK' Season 11 finale: Release date, time, where to watch and which couples are left?
-
Italy's Gianmarco Tamberi apologizes to wife for losing wedding ring at Paris opening ceremony
-
Report: Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence could miss rest of season with shoulder injury
-
A manipulated video shared by Musk mimics Harris’ voice, raising concerns about AI in politics
-
Celine Dion saves a wet 'n wild Paris Olympics opening ceremony: Review
-
Watching the Eras Tour for free, thousands of Swifties 'Taylor-gate' in Munich, Germany