Man in Warren explosion suffered burns on most of his body; police preparing warrants

The man who was injured in a Saturday explosion at a Warren home remains in critical condition Monday, and police are preparing to present a "series of felony warrants" against him to prosecutors, a police official said. 

The Warren resident, 37, suffered second- and third-degree burns on 55% of his body, said Warren Police Commissioner Bill Dwyer, who added that the man, if he survives, faces months of recovery due to his injuries. 

Dwyer also corrected the account of the man's injuries. He lost one of his hands in the explosion, not both arms as initially reported. Dwyer said he had been given and then repeated erroneous information about the incident. 

The explosion, which took place at around 3:10 p.m., started in the garage and spread to the house on the 20700 block of Gentner. 

The man, who the police commissioner described as both the victim and suspect in the explosion, had an extensive criminal background involving weapons charges and manufacturing of explosive items and was under investigation before the explosion. 

Warren police executed a search warrant Saturday and recovered a dozen firearms, including handguns and rifles as well as loaded AR-style magazines and about 4,000 rounds of ammunition, Dwyer said.

Small explosive devices were found as well, and police believe an illegal operation was running from the house. 

Warren police responded to the scene with the city's Fire Department and the Michigan State Police bomb squad. 

Warrants had not yet been presented to the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office on Monday, and the office said it would not comment on the case before a suspect is arraigned. 

halbarghouthi@detroitnews.com

@HaniBarghouthi