Current:Home > NewsMichigan residents urged not to pick up debris from explosive vaping supplies fire that killed 1-InfoLens
Michigan residents urged not to pick up debris from explosive vaping supplies fire that killed 1
View Date:2024-12-23 12:32:51
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! (7283)
Related
- Bo the police K-9, who located child taken at knifepoint, wins Hero Dog Awards 2024
- German police say 26-year-old man has turned himself in, claiming to be behind Solingen knife attack
- ‘Deadpool’ and ‘Alien’ top charts again as ‘Blink Twice’ sees quiet opening
- Gunmen kill 31 people in 2 separate attacks in southwestern Pakistan; 12 insurgents also killed
- Auburn surges, while Kansas remains No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports men's basketball poll
- A Florida man set to be executed this week appeals to the US Supreme Court for a stay
- The Best Breathable, Lightweight & Office-Ready Work Pants for Summer
- Bye bye, bacon egg burritos: Some Taco Bells will stop serving breakfast
- Jennifer Lopez Turns Wicked Premiere Into Family Outing With 16-Year-Old Emme
- The shooting death of a 16-year-old girl by police is among a spate that’s upset Anchorage residents
Ranking
- King Charles III celebrates 76th birthday amid cancer battle, opens food hubs
- Lea Michele Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby No. 2 With Husband Zandy Reich
- A Florida man set to be executed this week appeals to the US Supreme Court for a stay
- Trump is expected to tie Harris to chaotic Afghanistan War withdrawal in speech to National Guard
- The Cowboys, claiming to be 'all in' prior to Dak Prescott's injury, are in a rare spot: Irrelevance
- In boosting clean energy in Minnesota, Walz lays foundation for climate influence if Harris wins
- A Florida man set to be executed this week appeals to the US Supreme Court for a stay
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Absolute Units
Recommendation
-
'Bizarre:' Naked man arrested after found in crawl space of California woman's home
-
Trump would veto legislation establishing a federal abortion ban, Vance says
-
Man distraught over planned sale of late mother’s home fatally shoots 4 family members and himself
-
Lea Michele Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby No. 2 With Husband Zandy Reich
-
Britney Spears reunites with son Jayden, 18, after kids moved in with dad Kevin Federline
-
'First one to help anybody': Missouri man drowns after rescuing 2 people in lake
-
Harris and Trump are having a new squabble over their upcoming debate, this time about muted mics
-
Water Issues Confronting Hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail Trickle Down Into the Rest of California