EPA begins removing materials at Clinton Township site contaminated after March explosion
CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (FOX 2) - The federal government began its stage of clean-up at the contaminated remains of a Clinton Township storage site that burned down after a fire led to explosions blowing through the walls and ceiling of the building.
Nitrous oxide, refined butane, and lithium-ion batteries will be the target of emergency response officials, who will spend approximately 100 work days at the former warehouse site on 15 Mile working to remove any imminent threat posed by the leftover chemicals.
While the materials themselves don't pose a problem, the combination of having an oxidizer like nitrous oxide and a flammable substance like butane could pose bigger concerns.
"If there's an ignition source, there's always a potential threat that there could set off another fire," said Sean Kane, the EPA Region 5 emergency response on-scene coordinator.
Kane, who will be leading the clean-up, said crews will start slowly and gradually ramp up restoration as they uncover debris and ensure nothing of danger is at the scene. He said the work will likely speed up after Labor Day.
During clean-up, there will also be air quality monitors tracking particulate matter and other emissions - ensuring nothing visible is bleeding off the site.
The focus on the site will be contained to above-ground work, though Kane didn't rule out there may be pollution beyond their purview - but added that it would be the responsibility of the state to follow up on monitoring the groundwater under the site.
"Everything you see in the background, we plan on removing everything," he said.
The department's first round of clean-up included disposing 4,000 nitrous oxide canisters, three 55-gallon drums filled with lithium-ion batteries, and 30 intact cans of ultra refined butane.
The full clean-up is expected to cost $2.5 million.
Remains of the Goo Smoke Shop and Select Distributors Warehouse.
It's unclear who will end up paying the tab for the clean-up. The EPA's negotiations with potential parties responsible reached a standstill, Kane said.
Thirty-one-year-old Noor Kestou of Commerce Township was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of a 19-year-old who was struck by a nitrous oxide canister the night of the explosion.
He had purchased a one-way ticket to Hong Kong when he was arrested. Kestou was then extradited back to Macomb County to be arraigned.
Kestou owned the Goo Smoke Shop and Select Distributors Warehouse. Since the March 4 explosion, officials have probed what materials were stored inside the warehouse and if they were properly contained.
An EPA crew arrived at the scene last week to start its cleanup, and heavy equipment is expected to arrive this week to assist. The EPA is bringing in specific heavy equipment to clean up the powder and chemicals under all the rubble, including uncovered cans of butane, intact compressed gas cylinders, vape pens, and lithium-ion batteries.
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Clinton Township explosion: Cleanup underway at site nearly 6 months later
"The equipment is coming from throughout the country," said Clinton Township Supervisor Bob Cannon. "It’s not just little equipment. It’s very specialized equipment that's got to be safe – because we don’t know what's under there."