A deadly fire at a warehouse storing flammable materials in suburban Detroit killed one person Monday night, causing explosions, shaking homes and sending debris a mile away, officials and residents said.
A fire in Clinton Township was under control early Tuesday morning, but potential health impacts were unknown.
Emergency services were called to the building, owned by Select Distributors, at 8.50pm on Monday.
“We can't stress enough the danger going on right now. Please, please, please, stay inside and out,” a statement on the Clinton Township Police Department's Facebook page read. We don't know the effects of the smoke/air right now, so please stay safe and leave the area.
Clinton Township Fire Chief Tim Duncan said a 19-year-old man died Tuesday morning after the explosion. He did not provide further details.
NBC News affiliate Detroit's WDIV calls From onlookers who could hear a series of explosions as far away as Troy, 15 miles west in neighboring Oakland County. Clinton Township is in Macomb County.
Some callers said things inside their homes rattled and shook from the vibrations, while others asked if the explosions were gunshots or fireworks.
Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel told WDIV the fire was under control shortly after 11 p.m. Monday.
A firefighter was injured by an exploding canister and a bystander suffered minor injuries and was treated at a local hospital, police said.
Duncan told reporters in a phone call that no one was in the building when the fire broke out, and the debris was primarily from 12-inch metal canisters, each weighing a few pounds.
“The building was almost completely gutted. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of explosions that firefighters couldn't access,” he said.
Local residents were advised to close their windows and stay indoors.
Who are the eyewitnesses? captured the scene They posted footage on social media in the distance, accompanied by the sound of multiple, sustained explosions of missiles being fired into the sky. One person said the explosions continued for more than half an hour.
The police and fire department requested assistance from other local police agencies and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives because the business was “known to store flammable materials.”
Police and firefighters rushed to the spot till early Tuesday morning to clear the debris from the surrounding roads.
On its website, Select Distributors says it offers dollar stores novelty items and phone accessories, and sells vape products, nitrous oxide and CBD oil.
