Whitmore Lake Michigan house explosion kills 4, injures 2 victims

Table Of Content

• 'Sounded like a bomb': Ann Arbor house explosion injures 1, blast plume seen for miles
• DPD: No suspects in custody in shooting that injured 2 kids, 2 adults
• Sign up for the Morning Newsletter and receive up to date information.
• Four dead and two injured after house explosion in Michigan, police say
• Butane, nitrous oxide, lighter fluid and vape pens exploded during blaze
• dead, 2 injured in Whitmore Lake house explosion
• ‘You don’t expect an apartment to just blow up out of nowhere’
• h Key Bridge collapse victim recovered, identified after vehicle located

After first responders rushed to the scene of a house explosion in rural Northfield Township on Saturday, the race was on to locate and treat victims amid the burning remains of the home. The preliminary investigation found that an "undetermined fuel-air explosion" leveled the home, according to Powell, who added that testing is still underway to determine if a propane or natural gas leak caused the disaster. Richard Bragg, the owner of the house, remained in a hospital Tuesday in critical condition, Powell said. Don and Hope Bragg's youngest child, 16-year-old Steven Bragg, was also hospitalized with critical injuries, Powell said.

'Sounded like a bomb': Ann Arbor house explosion injures 1, blast plume seen for miles

If Kestou posts bond, he must wear a GPS tether, surrender his passport, not leave the state, and have no weapons, according to the prosecutor's office release. Kestou was ordered held in the county jail on a $500,000 bond during an arraignment in Clinton Township. A not-guilty plea was entered, according to district court records. "We are taking a very aggressive stance in the community," Duncan said.

DPD: No suspects in custody in shooting that injured 2 kids, 2 adults

Paul Brouwer, the township's emergency management coordinator, previously said the debris field from the blaze and explosions was 1 mile across and dozens of canisters were found embedded in yards. Scott Kleinfeld, the township's assistant superintendent of public works, previously said crews gathered debris from a 2-mile radius. Duncan said since the explosion, his department has been going to local businesses and asking to check their back rooms to see if they have legal amounts of nitrous oxide or butane. He said they've found many people don't know how much they're legally allowed to have, or that there is a legal limit. Lucido said the involuntary manslaughter charge was the "highest" prosecutors could bring at this time. He did not rule out the possibility that there would be additional charges against Kestou or other people, though he declined to elaborate.

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When rescuers arrived at the location of the explosion that could be heard 9 miles away, they found three residents of the home in the 8200 block of Winters Lane dead, Northfield Township police said. Three other residents were taken to a nearby hospital, one of whom later died. Township officials previously said the site, a former Save-A-Lot retail and warehouse store, wasn't supposed to have butane and nitrous oxide tanks inside.

They said butane and nitrous oxide, lighter fluid, vape pens and canisters measuring 12 to 18 inches and weighing 10 to 15 pounds exploded during the blaze. Turner Salter, 19, of Clinton Township, a bystander, died after he was hit in the head with a projectile about a quarter mile from the business. According to prosecutors, the teen was struck by a nitrous oxide canister. Township firefighter Matt Myers was also injured when debris came through the windshield of a vehicle and glass clipped the side of his face, officials previously said.

Canisters propelled into the air and rained down throughout the area, with various types of debris found more than a mile away. Duncan said the state needs to make changes so if a business refuses to let the city in or cooperate with them, that they can go in and look around regardless. Clinton Township Supervisor Robert Cannon said he wants to stop an explosion like this from happening anywhere else. "We believe wholeheartedly that was the appropriate charge," Lucido said.

Paul Schrems, who lives several blocks from where the blast took place, said he was sitting in his living room when the explosion took place. Kestou has been released from jail after posting a $500,000 bond. Lucido said authorities have his passport and that a condition of bond is that Kestou has to wear a GPS tether.

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Pruden's daughter, Hope Bragg, 51, as well as her husband, Don Bragg, 53, their son, Kenneth Bragg, 22, and daughter, Elizabeth Bragg, 19, died in the explosion. The road was closed off by police on Sunday and police asked people to stay away from the scene. Police said the investigation into the cause of the explosion will continue for several days. "News travels fast in a small town so naturally a little while later a lot of customers were coming in telling us what happened," Alicea said.

Saturday at a residence on Winter Lane, a private, dead-end road that parallels U.S. 23 on the west side of the highway, just west of Whitmore Lake, and about a dozen miles north of Ann Arbor. The explosion destroyed the home, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) west of Detroit. The Braggs were visiting Michigan for the holiday, Lt. David Powell said.

“I live about 100 yards from him and by the time I drove there, there was still stuff falling from the sky,” they told the outlet. He added, "Police and fire personnel learned that there were [six] occupants in the residence and began a search of the area for the occupants while fire personnel worked on extinguishing the fire." Lt. David Powell of Northfield Township Police said in a release posted to Facebook that the incident took place on Dec. 30, 2023, when police and fire agencies were dispatched to a home for an "unknown explosion." Police provided an update Saturday night and announced another person had died, bringing the total to four. Natural gas company DTE Energy responded to ensure the scene was safe, as did local fire and hazmat crews.

Kestou was transported back to Michigan Wednesday and arraigned Thursday on one count of involuntary manslaughter. The charges stems from an explosion on March 4 at a building owned by Kestou. Inside the building an estimated 100,000 vape pens were being stored along with butane canisters. When the explosion happened thousands of pens and canisters became projectiles, with some being found nearly two miles away from the explosion site. Authorities in Michigan say four people have died and two others were injured in a house explosion 45 miles west of Detroit that could be heard from miles away and destroyed the home entirely, leaving only the basement intact. Lucido, Township Supervisor Bob Cannon and Township Police Chief Dina Caringi plan to give an update on the explosions and fire during a news conference Friday at the township's police headquarters.