Fire marshal: Man in critical condition holds the answer to house explosion
Rubble is all that remains after crews demolished the remnants of a house, located on Gattegno Street in Ypsilanti Township, that exploded on Sunday, July, 7.
Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com
The 25-year-old man who remains in critical condition at the University of Michigan Hospital's burn unit may be the only one who knows what sparked the explosion that rocked an Ypsilanti Township neighborhood Sunday.
“He holds the key,” said Fire Marshal Vic Chevrette. “He holds the answer.”
Chevrette plans to interview the the man again. In the meantime, the cause of the explosion has been ruled "undetermined" and investigators have finished at the scene.
“We're pretty much wrapping everything up,” Chevrette said, adding that butane or natural gas feeding the water heater — or both — could be responsible for the explosion.
“We know it was a flammable vapor,” he said.
The 25-year-old initially told investigators he was trying to relight a water heater in the basement of the home, located in the 1300 block of Gattegno Street.
Thousands of canisters of butane were later discovered at the scene. Officials said butane can be used to extract THC, the primary psychoactive ingredient, from all parts of the marijuana plant to make what is called hash oil.
The house on Gattegno was one of about two dozen locations targeted by authorities in a large-scale drug raid Monday. The home exploded before a search warrant could be executed there, police said. Lt. Michael Shaw of the Michigan State Police said the 25-year-old recovering at the hospital is not yet facing any charges and was not taken into custody.
The unharmed woman and infant witnesses saw safely fleeing the scene Sunday have not been accounted for, according to officials.
“We haven’t talked to (her) at all,” Shaw said.
In a news release issued Tuesday, state police said the seven-month investigation led to 25 search warrants being executed in four counties Monday. Authorities netted $221,509 in seized cash, 736 marijuana plants, 31 vehicles, 10 recreational vehicles, eight firearms and a large quantity of processed marijuana.
Shaw could not elaborate Wednesday on where in Washtenew, Wayne, Oakland and Jackson counties the search warrants were executed. All the people who were taken into custody were released pending further investigation.
Any charges would have to authorized by the state attorney general's office, Shaw said, and that could take more than a month.
"This investigation continues to evolve," the release states. "The search warrants have been sealed and information contained in the warrant cannot be released. More information on this investigation will be released as it becomes available."
John Counts covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at johncounts@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
Zhuk
Wed, Jul 17, 2013 : 4:54 p.m.
Looking at that picture, it appears to me that it was more of a fire in a small house built on a slab than an explosion. Note: the windows in house next door facing the "blowed up house" and the windows in the garage behind the "blowed up house" appear to not be broken. Also, there doesnt appear to be damage to the siding on either. Can anyone from AA.com confirm this? Having made and played with fireworks as minors (long ago), I have managed to blow out windows with far less than a 15,000 can of butane explosive source... It would appear that it was a small explosion and fire and then sensational information being provided by the authorities to the police.
a2-13res
Fri, Jul 12, 2013 : 1:22 a.m.
Wow! Lt. Michael Shaw is really making a name for himself, it seems. I see him EVERYWHERE now: in the press, on the news... guess he likes hearing his voice a lot!
John Counts
Fri, Jul 12, 2013 : 2:26 a.m.
Lt. Shaw is a Public Information Officer for the Michigan State Police. It's his job to talk to the press.
jmcmurray
Thu, Jul 11, 2013 : 5:57 p.m.
This is in regards to the raids in general, and not the bonehead who blew up his landlord's house: This is why the government, and especially law enforcement agencies, don't want marijuana legalized: "Authorities netted $221,509 in seized cash, 736 marijuana plants, 31 vehicles, 10 recreational vehicles, eight firearms and a large quantity of processed marijuana." Without forfeiture money from growers, would these narcotics teams have enough money to support themselves? The police stole these people's money and cars for growing a plant. Are you OK with that?
jmcmurray
Fri, Aug 9, 2013 : 4:52 p.m.
A plant.
Bruce W
Thu, Jul 18, 2013 : 1:37 a.m.
I hope they also go after all the property they owned, gold chains, cell phones, homes, and anything else they can get. Everything they own might have been purchased with money made from selling drugs.
Slim Jim
Sat, Jul 13, 2013 : 2:32 a.m.
Yes
Bob Zuruncol
Thu, Jul 11, 2013 : 2:33 p.m.
I don't care if my neighbor smokes a joint, but I live in a condo, and I don't want him/her operating a chem lab next door that's going to make my home look like the Gattegno Street property.
John Counts
Thu, Jul 11, 2013 : 2:05 p.m.
This is not a LAWNET (Livingston and Washtenaw Narcotics Enforcement Team) operation. It is being conducted by the Michigan State Police Western Wayne Narcotics team in four counties, including Wayne, Washtenaw, Jackson and Oakland. All of the 25 targets where search warrants were executed are believed to be connected in one large illegal marijuana grow operation.
Jaime Magiera
Thu, Jul 11, 2013 : 5:17 p.m.
Thanks for the info John.
Mark Hergott
Thu, Jul 11, 2013 : 4:21 p.m.
Fine. LAWNET, MSPWWN, Whatever. If this illegal marijuana grow operation could get the permits to grow the amount of marijuana needed for legal consumption, maybe people wouldn't be extracting THC from marijuana plants in a residential home. I certainly don't extract high fructose corn syrup from my hydroponically grown corn in my basement. All of this is farce.
Jaime Magiera
Thu, Jul 11, 2013 : 1:28 p.m.
The LAWNET raids are a separate issue from that of the explosion. The arresting of people for growing and/or using marijuana is a waste of time and resources. If the plant were completely legal, there would be less risk of people doing stupid things in the growing process because information could be exchanged freely just like any other hobby and growers could actually operate out of more appropriate surroundings. That aside, there are literally tens of thousands of *legal* marijuana growers in Michigan. They don't have accidents such as what happened to this young man. This was just personal stupidity. So, any attempts to equate the accident above with marijuana growing or use as a whole is ridiculous. To prove me wrong, you'd have to provide a statistically significant list of similar accidents amongst growers and smokers. (hint: you won't be able to) At any rate, the plant is becoming legal across the country. We have two options as a society: 1) Hide our heads in the sand and pretend that this isn't happening 2) Work towards building infrastructure to support the education of growers and users to maximize the benefits and minimize any possible dangers.
nickcarraweigh
Thu, Jul 11, 2013 : 12:42 p.m.
Have arrangement been made to provide uninterrupted supply flow to area dispensaries? Have the detox facilities been alerted? The last thing we need is our nighttime streets crowded with medical marijuana users in the throes of withdrawal, painfully shuffling in their SpongeBob pajamas toward their appointments in Samarra.
arborani
Thu, Jul 11, 2013 : 8:21 p.m.
Ooooh, neat O'Hara ref!
seldon
Thu, Jul 11, 2013 : 2:49 a.m.
I think pot should be legalized, but I don't think storage of industrial quantities of butane in a residential neighborhood should be.
seldon
Thu, Jul 11, 2013 : 12:08 p.m.
For context, I'm responding to the post above about how Lawnet is wasting their time on this case.
Usual Suspect
Thu, Jul 11, 2013 : 5:49 a.m.
That's the fallacy of the false alternative. There is also the option to simply no manufacture pot at all. The fact that I'm not allowed to make fireworks out in the open in my back yard doesn't lead to me doing it in secret in my basement.
Basic Bob
Thu, Jul 11, 2013 : 3:46 a.m.
Unfortunately, that's what happens when the government prevents legal operation of marijuana processing facilities. People operate illegally and unsafely out of their garage or basement.
Timber
Thu, Jul 11, 2013 : 12:26 a.m.
If the house contained "hundreds of boxes containing thousands of cans of butane" as stated by law enforcement - then this is no petty pot offender. I sure the heck don't want to live next door in the subdivision to a pot/hash processing plant. BOOM! Amazing more people were't injured.
An Arborigine
Wed, Jul 10, 2013 : 10:39 p.m.
He may hold the key, but he won't be needing it to enter that house anytime soon. I'm so proud that LawNet is concentrating on petty pot offenders instead of real crime.
Nicholas Urfe
Thu, Jul 11, 2013 : 12:33 a.m.
@An Arborigine: would you consider this a "real crime" if the explosion had killed someone, or happened next to your house?
a2citizen
Wed, Jul 10, 2013 : 11:13 p.m.
I pretty liberal with my views on pot but blowing up your house with an infant inside is not a petty pot offense.
Usual Suspect
Wed, Jul 10, 2013 : 11:08 p.m.
I have noticed that the term "real crime" is always something other than the activity the speaker of the term likes to engage in. Drugs, speeding, running stop signs, taking short cuts through construction zones, spray-painting other people's property, etc.