2 dead after house explosion in Orion Township

Explosion sent flames 50 feet into air, firefighters say

ORION TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Two people are dead after a house exploded Wednesday in Orion Township.

Crews responded to the explosion around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at a home in the 400 block of Coats Road.

At this time, it's unclear what caused the explosion.

Firefighters said three people were inside the house at the time of the explosion. A woman made it out with just bumps and bruises, but her parents were unaccounted for. Officials have found one body in the rubble, and they're still searching for the other.

"When we got here, it was chaos, obviously," Orion Township Supervisor Chris Barnett said. "Managed chaos. But we are doing the best we can. I know that the one person who was able to get out is a daughter. She was able to get out before the home exploded."

The daughter, who is 29 years old, got out before the explosion, firefighters said. Firefighters said her parents are buried in the rubble.

Barnett said the house was completely destroyed.

"You can barely tell there was a house there," Barnett said. "It's basically completely leveled. There's debris that's been strewn all about."

Barnett said while there were no fire hydrants in the area, that's something crews are used to since most residents are on wells. But there was no chance for firefighters to save the house.

"The house was completely engulfed," Barnett said. "Fifty-foot flames when I arrived 15 minutes after the call, so there's not a lot they could do."

He said they worked hard to get the people out of the home, but that the house was "a complete fireball."

The flames have been largely extinguished.

"They're just working on adrenaline right now," Orion Township fire Chief Bob Smith said. "Just trying to find these people, so they're going to do the best they can."

Officials are continuing to investigate.

Stay with ClickOnDetroit.com for updates.


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Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.