A massive multi-alarm fire destroyed a Michigan building late Monday night, killing one and injuring at least one as firefighters raced to get the fire under control as quickly as possible.
Hundreds of explosions were documented in Clinton Township, around 25 miles north of downtown Detroit and another neighboring township about an hour before the fire began, USA TODAY previously reported.
The massive fire began around 9 p.m. at a building that housed Select Distributors, which provides gases for vape pens. Gu, a vaping distributor had over 100,000 vape pens in storage at the time of the fire, USA TODAY reported.
Crews were able to get the fire under control by 11 p.m., evacuating all residents and neighboring businesses before they got to the work.
A flying object from the explosion hit a 19-year-old, killing him. A firefighter was also briefly hospitalized after he was hit with broken glass and shrapnel from the explosion. Local agencies, both police and fire reported damage to vehicles as a result of exploding projectile canisters, USA TODAY reported.
The fire was caught on photo and video by onlookers, take a look at what they documented below.
Cleanup continued through Tuesday morning, with crews continuing to extinguish hotspots and clear debris from the road.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, with multiple agencies including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives working to determine the cause, according to a Facebook post by Clinton Township Police Department.
Officials on Tuesday afternoon said that during the blaze at the site, which housed Goo Smoke Shop and Select Distributors, included the explosions of butane and nitrous oxide, lighter fluid, vape pens, and canisters measuring 12-18 inches and weighing 10-15 pounds, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Clinton Township Supervisor Bob Cannon said those who applied for permits for the site "to do something that we thought they were going to do, which was legal, ended up doing something that is clearly not only illegal, but immoral and dangerous," according to the Free Press.
Township Fire Chief Tim Duncan said there were two business owners Monday night who were taken to the police department and interviewed by the fire prevention division as well as the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. No one was in custody Tuesday morning, the Free Press reported.
