Clinton Township police and fire officials have completed their investigation into the deadly blast that destroyed a vape supply shop and warehouse five weeks ago.
The March 4 massive blasts and subsequent fire at Goo Smoke Shop/Select Distributors Wholesale warehouse rocked central Macomb County and sent debris up to two miles away. One of an estimated 1,000 metal canisters at the scene fatally struck a 19-year-man and another injured a township firefighter.
“Our end of the investigation involving our police department and fire department looking into the physical aspects of what happened is over,” Clinton Township Supervisor Robert Cannon said Thursday.
“I’ve been told it was a thorough investigation,” he added.
However, an inquiry by the property owners, their insurance companies and attorneys has yet to be finished, according to Cannon. The status of their probe is unclear and a spokesperson was not immediately available to comment Thursday.
As a result, the explosion site — basically a huge pile of debris with a fence erected around it — remains on 15 Mile Road, west of Groesbeck Highway.
The results of the public investigation haven’t yet been disclosed and criminal charges have not been announced.
The former 27,000-square-foot building is owned by GOO LLC, according to Clinton Township property records. GOO LLC is registered to Noor Kestou, according to state corporation records. The building was sold in November 2020 for $1.1 million.
Kestou also owns Select Distributors, which imports goods and sells them to smoke shops and gas stations around Detroit area. He is also the registered agent for more than half a dozen Select Smoke Shops around the area.
The building was not supposed to contain the butane and nitrous oxide tanks that were found on the property. The company was a wholesale distributer of vape pen, CBD products, hookahs, lighters and other novelty items. The facility also stored 100,000 vape pens.
The on-site investigation, led by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, was supposed to start in March was delayed due to the time it will take to coordinate the many parties that will participate. Other participating public entities include the Michigan State Police, Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and Michigan Emergency Management Association.
The Environmental Protection Agency is heading cleanup operations.
Cannon still expressed concern over people who still may want to remove some of the containers or other debris from the property as souvenirs. A private security guard financed by the company remains at the scene to prevent people from trespassing.
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