A Michigan home exploded over the weekend, killing four people and injuring two others as the sounds of the incident could be heard by residents from miles away.
Aerial video footage of the scene of the incident showed a wide swath of ground surrounding the home's hollowed-out basement covered with splintered wood debris. There was also a charred husk of a car that was seen near where the outside walls of the building once stood in Whitmore Lake.
Michigan Home Explosion
The deadly incident in the rural community that is located about 12 miles north of Ann Arbor occurred at around 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. Police said that the initial sounds of the explosion were heard up to nine miles away.
Debris from the blast was also found to have spread to a nearby highway, which led to a resident in the area reporting the blast to authorities. Officials later found three people who lost their lives at the scene of the explosion, as per USA Today.
Another three victims were transferred to the hospital to be treated, one of whom later died after succumbing to his injuries. The surviving victims are said to be in critical condition. Police have not revealed the names of the four people who died or the two who were injured by the blast.
Law enforcement authorities also said that the cause of the explosion remains under investigation. Additionally, Michigan State police responded to the blast and fire and hazardous materials crews were expected to work on the scene.
Neighbors and other witnesses said debris was launched into the air, which later fell into their yards and on both sides of U.S.-23. Fortunately, no other homes were damaged by the explosion.
The general manager at Polly Market in Whitmore Lake, 38-year-old Trevor Alicea, was working on Saturday when she heard the explosion sounds. She said that it made her think that there was an incident near the store, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Investigating the Deadly Incident
In a statement, Alicea said she heard a "super loud boom, it shook the whole store." She added that when she first heard it, someone may have run into the side of the building with their vehicle.
The store's general manager added that the shelves of bottled alcohol along the wall lightly rattled from the shockwaves of the blast. She and several other establishment employees were dumbfounded when they heard the explosion.
In a statement released by Northfield Township on Sunday, officials said that police and fire personnel who arrived at the scene first discovered six occupants in the residence. They then searched the area as fire personnel worked on extinguishing the remaining fire.
A responder told dispatch that the "house is completely gone" and that five residents were inside. He initially said that two of them were alert and another two were unconscious. A supervisor said he was setting up a triage area, said the Detroit News.
