On March 7, a fire and multiple explosions occurred at a building in suburban Detroit that housed a distributor for the vaping industry called Goo. The incident resulted in one death and an injury to a firefighter. Authorities are investigating the cause of the explosion, but it is believed that canisters containing gas chemicals may have been responsible for repeated explosions reported by first responders and witnesses.
The building housed a distributor for the vaping industry called Goo, which stored nitrous and butane in large tanks inside. The last inspection of the site took place in 2022, during which time it was determined that there were no issues with storage or handling of these materials.
However, on March 7th a truckload of butane canisters arrived at the building and more than half of this stock remained on site when the fire began. There were also over 100,000 vape pens stored there. The size of these containers was not immediately clear.
The Associated Press left phone and email messages with Goo but did not receive a response. Owners and employees are cooperating with investigators, said Clinton Township Police Chief Dina Caringi.
Ben Ilozor, a professor of architecture, construction and engineering at Eastern Michigan University stated that the size of the fire made sense after he learned what was on site. He explained that all vape pens were missiles and canisters containing nitrous oxide or butane would explode when heated inside containers.
The Associated Press reported that a 19-year-old man died in the incident, while a firefighter was injured by glass after one of the canisters hit the windshield of his vehicle. The building had been an industrial site for over 20 years and had never experienced any incidents like this before.
The cause of death is not yet known but it's believed that he was watching the fire when a canister struck him after traveling a quarter mile from the building. There are no signs of dangerous air quality in the area, said Fire Chief Tim Duncan.
