YPSILANTI TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A worker who witnessed the explosion in Ypsilanti Township on Wednesday described what happened inside the building.
Dion Raglin, an ink technician for Electronics For Imaging, Inc, said someone was driving a high-low and struck a gas line.
“The manager was there as soon as the guy hit the gas line,” Raglin said. “He was there, and then that’s when he came back, hysterical, ‘Hey man, get everybody out of here. Get everybody out.’”
The boss got everyone out, but a few minutes later, three people went back in to make sure nobody was still inside, according to Raglin.
Those three people got injured, he said. Ypsilanti Township Fire Chief Steven Densmore said all three people were taken to a nearby hospital.
Officials with Huron Valley Ambulance said all three are stable.
“The whole building is like a tuna can,” Raglin said. “It’s just shredded. It had a big old puff (of smoke) when we were back there.”
Densmore said the back part of the building is “significantly damaged.”
Raglin said workers smelled gas when the manager started telling everybody to get out of the building. Alarms were also going off.
Raglin shared some photos showing the smoke and the damage. You can see those at the bottom of the page.
Densmore said dozens of firefighters from Ypsilanti Township, Ypsilanti, Superior Township, and Van Buren Township, as well as hazmat teams, were called to the scene just after 3 p.m.
They rescued the three people who were trapped inside.
He corroborated Raglin’s story, saying it appears the explosion was a “gas incident” involving a forklift or similar piece of machinery.
Hazmat teams are running tests, but so far, they are all coming back negative.
Gas is currently shut off to the building. Densmore said he expects firefighters to be at the scene into Wednesday evening, but he said there is no immediate danger to anyone in the surrounding area.