Residents were evacuated Thursday afternoon in Pittsfield Township after an explosion took place at the Ann Arbor Welding Supply company, near the intersection of Carpenter and Morgan Roads. 89.1 WEMU's Jorge Avellan was on the scene and has the story.
"I was at home chilling, then I heard boom, boom, boom..."
Ypsilanti resident Ayo Lukula then realized that the noise was coming from the nearby welding company after propane and butane tanks exploted around 12:30 PM. Authorities evacuated businesses and homes within a one mile radius.
Dave Halteman is the director of emergency services for Washtenaw County.
"Primarily to keep the public out of the perimiter for flying debris. The cylinders, when they explode, they can fly into the air up to a mile depending on the size of them," said Halteman.
Twenty-three people were in the building when the explosion took place, two of them were treated for inhalation problems. No word yet on what exactly caused the explosion.
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— Jorge Avellan is a reporter for 89.1 WEMU News. Contact him at 734.487.3363 or email him javellan@emich.edu
