DETROIT – One person is dead, and another has been hospitalized after what was first reported as an explosion outside a vacant building on Third Street.
It happened at about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 11, near Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and the Lodge Freeway.
Detroit police initially reported that a suspected utility theft at an unoccupied building killed one person and severely burned another.
Following an update by the DPD, it was determined that the injuries sustained by the man and woman were the result of a propane heater fire.
Officials said the incident involved apparent tampering with a utility connection at the vacant structure, which led to a fire.
Police said first responders arrived after initial reports of an explosion and found signs of a fire.
Investigators quickly determined the incident was not a pipe bomb, but the evidence pointed to a propane heater fire.
Police said one person was taken to a local hospital with severe burns, but they are expected to survive.
Further details were not revealed at the time.
Previous report