19-year-old a quarter mile away from fiery Michigan explosion killed by flying canister: officials

CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- A 19-year-old who was a quarter mile away from a fiery explosion in Michigan was struck and killed by a canister that flew into the air from the blast, according to fire officials.

The fire was reported at 8:50 p.m. Monday at a vaping distributing company in Clinton Township, about 25 miles outside of Detroit, the Clinton Fire Department said. The company had received a truckload of butane that caught fire, officials said.

Clinton Township Fire Chief Tim Duncan described it as a "tremendous amount of fire."

"In my 25 years ... this, by far, was the biggest one that I've ever seen," he told reporters Tuesday morning.

The explosions prevented responders from reaching the fire immediately, the Clinton Fire Department said. When officers did arrive on the scene, they found "materials flying in all directions from the building," officials said.

Clinton Township police warned Monday night, "We can not stress enough the danger that is happening right now. Please, please, please stay inside and out of the vicinity. Debris is being projected into the air and coming down as far as a mile away from the explosion."

Responders evacuated residents and businesses in the area, police said.

A firefighter suffered a minor injury from the blast, police said.