1 dead, 1 injured in Clinton Twp. fire that sent debris flying a mile
Clinton Township — One person is dead and one other was injured in a massive fire that erupted Monday night in an industrial building and sent flying debris as far as a mile, authorities said.
A Clinton Township firefighter and a bystander were hurt, police officials said early Tuesday in a statement. The firefighter suffered a minor injury while battling the blaze. The injured bystander was taken to a hospital.
Hours later, Clinton Township Fire Chief Tim Duncan told the media that the bystander, a 19-year-old man who was about a quarter-mile from the scene when he was hit by flying debris, had died.
Police also said the fire caused exploding projectile canisters, which damaged a police vehicle and a fire department vehicle.
Clinton Township police said they and firefighters were called at about 8:50 p.m. Monday to a fire in a commercial building located at 19100 15 Mile Road near Groesbeck Highway.
First responders arrived and saw "exploding materials flying in all directions from the building" of a business called Select Distributors, they said. Authorities set up a perimeter and evacuated nearby residents and businesses. The public was also urged to avoid the area of 15 Mile and Groesbeck.
"We can not stress enough the danger that is happening right now," police said on the department's Facebook page Monday night. "Please, please, please stay inside and out of the vicinity. Debris is being projected into the air and coming down as far as a mile away from the explosion.
"We do not know what is burning, we do not know the effects of the smoke/air right now, so please stay out of the area and stay safe."
More than a dozen emergency crews worked to extinguish the blaze and DTE Energy crews were on the scene at Select Distributors in the 19100 block of 15 Mile Road. Explosions pierced the night, with one witness saying it "felt like the ground was shaking" with each blast.
According to its website, “Select Distributors LLC is a wholesale supplier of Novelties Item, Phone Accessories, and general merchandise to discount stores, dollar stores, wholesalers, jobbers, supermarkets, convenience stores and many other types of retailers and wholesalers.”
Because the business was known to stock combustible materials, Clinton Township officials said they also called the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for assistance.
Police and firefighters remained at the scene until early Tuesday morning to clear roads and remove debris from nearby parking lots, they said.
Groesbeck Highway near the scene was closed for hours. Michigan Department of Transportation officials said at about 5:45 a.m. Tuesday the roadway reopened.
Officials said Tuesday that the Clinton Township Fire Department is investigating the fire's cause with the help of the ATF and Clinton Township Police Department.
Select Distributors representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
Kevin Felster of Emmett near Port Huron said he was on his way to Clinton Township to visit Joleen Vultaggio in Sterling Heights when he saw the fire and heard the explosions. After he got out of his car to watch, he saw hundreds of pieces of metal littering nearby roads, pieces from the size of a spray can to the size of a car wheel.
"It was heavy stuff and it was all charred black," Felster said of a piece of debris he picked up. "I guarantee you ... if that came flying through the air at any velocity at all, it would just shatter your head like nothing."
Vultaggio said she heard the explosions from 8 miles away at her home.
"It just freaked me out because it wasn't like one boom, it was continuous and it was very intense," said Vultaggio.
Korey Gaddis of Detroit was driving north on Groesbeck with a friend about 9:30 p.m. when they heard explosions coming from across the road.
"The next thing we heard was 'Boom!' We thought it was car doors slamming until we saw debris flying and I looked back and saw a fire," Gaddis said. "It felt like the ground was shaking and I could feel the heat."
He then started filming on Facebook Live.
Others in neighboring cities miles away said they heard "continuous explosions" around 9 p.m. Monday.
Around midnight, air quality in Clinton Township was moderate, with 2.5 particulate matter, according to airnow.gov. The rating hadn't changed as of 7:30 a.m. Tuesday.
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