One person was killed in a fire and explosions that erupted at a building housing suppliers for the vaping industry late Monday.
Debris and gas canisters were sent flying shortly before 9 p.m. forcing people to shelter as crews worked to contain the blaze.
Clinton Township fire officials said the site housed two businesses including one that had more than 100,000 vape pens stored inside it.
In addition, half a truckload of butane canisters from last week was still on-site when the fire started.
Fire Chief Tim Duncan identified the victim as a 19-year-old man who was struck by a canister from a quarter mile away.
Duncan called the death “very unfortunate” adding that he was likely “just observing” the events when he was fatally struck.
“The person was essentially about a quarter of a mile down the road here and did suffer injury from one of these flying canisters.”
The other business in the building also stored gas canisters for vape pens among other items that contributed to the multiple explosions that rocked the site.
“This is what you’re seeing strewn about the area, all the canisters, which had nitrous, had butane and they had some other products in there,” Duncan said.
“At that point, we’re basically dodging all these things going through the air.”
