ORION TOWNSHIP, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) – At least two people were injured after a possible gas explosion and resulting fire destroyed a condominium building in Orion Township, Michigan, Tuesday evening, officials said. Another two missing persons have been found safe.
According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, the explosion was reported at around 6:30 PM local time at the Keatington New Town Association condominium complex on Waldon Road, between Joslyn and Baldwin roads.
Orion Township Fire Chief Ryan Allen says the explosion destroyed a four-unit building, causing significant damage to one building and minimal damage to a few others. He says about 20 people were displaced, but were able to find a place to go Tuesday evening.
Allen says crews worked with utilities DTE and Consumers Energy to check a gas leak.
Authorities responded to an explosion in Orion Township, Michigan, on Tuesday, November 19, 2024. / Credit: Photo submitted by an Orion Township resident
Allen says the two people hospitalized, a 72-year-old man and a 75-year-old woman, suffered serious injuries. Their current condition is unknown. An unknown number of others suffered minor injuries, he added.
There have been no fatalities so far, according to the sheriff’s office.
“Preliminary indications are that it was a gas explosion, but the exact cause has not yet been determined,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Orion Township is located just north of Detroit.
Several residents were displaced after an explosion destroyed a condominium building in Orion Township on Tuesday, November 19, 2024. / Credit: Courtesy of Cody Coleman
A resident who lives nearby told CBS News Detroit he was home with family when the explosion occurred.
‘We just heard a big bang [It] shaking down my entire house. “I look out the window, I see flares, I see fire shooting through the air,” the resident said. ‘It felt like a wall was about to come down. It felt like it was happening at my home. I was terrified. It was so strong.”
Orion Township Fire Chief Ryan Allen says the explosion destroyed a four-unit building, causing significant damage to one building and minimal damage to a few others. /Credit: Jesse Gonzales/CBS Detroit
Consumers Energy said in a statement that because firefighters were still battling the blaze, it had “no additional information regarding the cause of the explosion or the status of anyone in the building.”
The company said its crews will arrive on site as soon as they receive the green light that it is safe to do so.
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