1 killed in a massive industrial fire north of Detroit that sent debris as far as a mile away, officials say

Originally Published: 05 MAR 24 01:54 ET Updated: 05 MAR 24 10:38 ET By Rob Frehse and Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN

(CNN) — A 19-year-old man died after being injured by a flying canister that took off “like a missile” as flames and explosions ripped through a Michigan vaping supplies distributor, Clinton County Fire Chief Tim Duncan said at a Tuesday news conference.

The towering industrial fire sent debris flying as far as a mile away after it broke out Monday night, police said.

Duncan was seven to eight miles from the scene when he got the call about the blaze, he said. The explosions at the scene were so intense they could be heard from that distance – and shook the vehicle he was in as he approached the scene, the chief said.

Flames lit up the sky as the inferno released massive plumes of smoke and showers of embers into the air, while bright flashes occasionally burst through the blaze, footage from CNN affiliate WXYZ shows.

Authorities worked through the night and early morning Tuesday clearing debris from the roadways and area parking lots, police said.

“You’ll see … some of these products where the actual top is blown off and the canister went up like a missile and then you have other ones that blew up in place and then came over so you’re seeing a variety of full canisters and then ones that are totally blown apart and basically shrapnel going through the air,” Duncan said.

The 19-year-old was around a quarter of a mile from the fire when he was struck, Duncan said. He was pronounced dead at around 4 a.m., the chief said. Investigators are still working to determine the exact cause of death.

The inferno broke out near 15 Mile Road and Groesbeck Highway, the Clinton Township Police Department said. The large intersection includes a gas station, hardware store and a building belonging to an automotive supplies manufacturer.

At least three ladder trucks with snorkel units, or cherry pickers, were pouring water on the blaze as more firefighters wielded hoses and other gear on the ground, aerial footage from CNN affiliates WDIV and WXYZ shows.

Within the last week, the distributor, which is estimated to have carried over 100,000 vape pens inside, had just received a truckload of butane and still had over half of that left, according to Duncan, in addition to nitrous, propane and other products.

“As firefighters, your first thought is, you see fire, you want to go put it out,” he said. “They (firefighters) were trying to approach it and obviously with the explosions, there was absolutely no way that we could do that.”

Duncan said Tuesday morning there was no danger to the community or air quality issues after a hazmat team assessed the zone, but urged residents to stay clear of the area as authorities investigate further.

“We’ll give it some additional time to see if we have any more explosions,” Duncan said. “We’re going to probably bring a piece of apparatus over here to help with some of the additional suppression on it … involve the ATF … and then once we get that clear, we’ll get our people on site and start digging through.”

“It’s still too unstable, too unsafe for our people to get over on the scene, so we’re probably gonna have to bring another engine over here to suppress the smoke and stuff going on, so obviously safety is crucial for our people,” he said.

A firefighter was injured from flying glass shrapnel but is expected to recover, the chief said.

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