Whitmore Lake, Michigan (AP) – The Michigan State Police Fire Investigation unit is currently investigating the cause of a devastating explosion that destroyed a home in Whitmore Lake, Michigan. The explosion tragically resulted in the deaths of four members of the family that lived there, with two others in critical but stable condition at the University of Michigan Hospital. The incident occurred on Saturday afternoon at a home in the 8200 block of Winters Lane, a private, dead-end road off Main Street, near Six Mile Road.
According to Northfield Twp. Fire Chief Chris Bishop, when firefighters arrived at the scene, they found “a structure that was no longer there.” The bodies of the family members were found within 100 feet of the house, and the debris was spread over 2-4 acres. Fortunately, no other homes were damaged by the explosion, although neighbors reported seeing falling debris in the air afterward, some even strewn along both sides of the nearby US-23 freeway.
All six people who were in the house at the time were members of the same family, including a grandfather. The three injured victims were transported to the Ann Arbor hospital for treatment of burns and blunt force trauma. However, one of the family members died at the hospital, bringing the total fatalities to four. Fire Chief Bishop has stated that the most prominent theory regarding the cause of the explosion is a propane gas leak, but a specific cause has not yet been determined.
Neighbors reported the explosion knocking them to the ground and creating a huge wave across a nearby lake. Firefighting units from various townships were at the scene, and the area remains closed off to the public.
The names of the victims have not been released, pending notification of extended family members. The investigation into the cause of the explosion is ongoing, and the community is mourning the tragic loss of life.