CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A massive fire and series of explosions Monday night killed a teenager and hospitalized a firefighter.
The explosion launched debris two miles from the Clinton Township facility. The 19-year-old was standing roughly 1,500 feet from the building when he was struck by debris. He died at the hospital early Tuesday morning.
A business and its distribution facility caught fire Monday night in Macomb County, triggering continuous explosions of combustible material lasting into Tuesday morning. The business, located near the intersection of 15 Mile Road and Groesbeck Highway in Clinton Township, was storing butane, nitrous oxide, lighter fluid and more.
The explosions were believed to be caused by several canisters of butane, nitrous oxide, and lighter fluid stored in the building. Investigators initially believed a fire started and heated up the containers and the gases, causing a series of explosions to occur Monday night and even into Tuesday morning.
Read: ‘Basically a warzone’: Debris recovered 2 miles from Macomb County building explosion
As investigators search for answers, residents surveyed the damage -- and there is a lot of it. Metal canisters turned into missiles, causing damage to fire trucks, fences and anything else they came into contact with.
There isn’t much standing of the building, but the area around it is littered with exploded containers that rained down on the community. Residents said the sky was lit up for nearly a half hour.