(TargetDailyNews.com) – A fire at an industrial warehouse resulted in multiple continuous explosions overnight on March 4th near Detroit, Michigan. The warehouse contained multiple compressed gas containers which exploded in a series as the evening went on.
Firefighters couldn’t approach the blaze due to the constant ejection of shrapnel and flying gas canisters. One piece of debris ended up killing a 19-year-old man who was a quarter mile away from the blaze when he was struck.
Firefighters with Clinton Township, 25 miles north of Detroit, indicated that the fire began around 9 p.m. and went through the night into the following morning. Select Distributors is one of the companies believed to be responsible for the facility.
Fire Chief Tim Duncan said that the teen killed was hit in the head by a projectile ejected from the blaze around 4 a.m. on Tuesday, March 5th. It’s unclear if the teen was observing the fire, but that was one of the theories expressed by authorities. They had attempted to keep people away from the fire and informed local residents of the dangers after it was clear they were going to be unable to put the fire out by traditional means.
Locals reported hearing explosions and seeing the smoke up to ten miles away. Locals also reported that their homes or vehicles were shaking from the shockwaves. Duncan indicated that the explosive nature of the fire was so dangerous they couldn’t approach the fire. He said the fire was one of the biggest he’d ever seen, and the explosive aspect made it exceptionally dangerous to firefighters and others in the area.
Duncan indicated that the company had just received a large shipment of butane which facilitated the blaze. Butane is the compressed gas frequently used in lighters. Officials are interviewing business owners responsible for the facility to determine the potential cause. Duncan indicated that the facility may have had materials in the warehouse that it wasn’t supposed to, contributing to the likelihood of a fire.
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