ORION TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Crews are responding to a suspicious gas explosion and fire in Orion County that left two people seriously injured.

The explosion, which left two people in critical condition, occurred on Waldon Road between Joslyn Road and Baldwin Road around 6:30pm on Tuesday, November 19.

Orion Township Chief Chris Barnett joined Orion Township Fire Chief Ryan Allen for the second update of the night where they said they were working with Consumers Energy.

“We are working with Consumers Energy to contain a gas-fed fire on one side of the building. I know some footage was taken.

To get there, they have to dig in the ground. Unfortunately, this is just one of those unusual situations that are difficult to achieve. So we’re working with them to make the scene safe. We provide the water suppression system for their crews to work and they will be able to control it. We deployed drones in the air to determine that, as far as we could tell, there was very little fire in the rest of the building.

Our current plan is for firefighters to ensure that the fire is completely extinguished once the fire is extinguished. “We are working with the Oakland County Technical Rescue team to fly a drone through the structure to conduct a primary search and investigation for victims.”

Orion County Fire Chief Ryan Allen

Officials hope to use drone footage to get a better look inside the building. They will then be able to work with the Technical Rescue Team to get people inside to verify that someone or no one is in the building.

There is a possibility of death, but Allen says they are working under the assumption that someone could be trapped in the structure.

“We’re actually working with the assumption that someone could get trapped inside the structure. When we see these types of gas explosions, sometimes we see where that building collapsed in on itself, someone got stuck in their pocket or something.”

So that’s the assumption we’re making right now because we can’t make contact with these people. So there is still a rescue here, not a recovery. We do not call these deaths. We’re calling them missing people because they either got out of the building, weren’t in the building in the first place, or there’s still a chance we’ll find them when we check in with the humans later tonight. ”

Orion County Fire Chief Ryan Allen

Since the two unnamed people were not in the building, their identities were learned at 22.15.

“An incredible team effort. Our employees are the best in the business. And we are already seeing community emerge and many churches opening their doors to receive displaced people.

We hate when these things happen, but our team trains for it. We had a similar experience a few years ago. So we’re ready to deal with this situation and we’re very grateful for the support from the community departments around us and the support already from the larger community that wants to help these people.

I just talked to the pastor in Woodside. From that point on I just talked to the pastor Woodside, there’s no one there at the moment so people were able to pick them up from relatives, friends and family, but if they are needed we’re still there and we’re here to help people if they need it that badly, you’re welcome.

Orion County Supervisor Chris Barnett

According to preliminary information, Allen said that the explosion was caused by a gas leak. Nothing has been confirmed, but this is the first indication of the issue.

“As of now, we have transported two people with critical injuries and a couple with minor injuries to hospitals,” Allen said. “We have relocation and displacement work at Woodside Church in Orion Township.”

Crews are currently working with DTE and Consumers Energy to contain the gas leak.

Allen said they extinguished the fire and would provide additional information around 9:15 p.m.

“But as of right now, we couldn’t look for an exploding building that was deemed unsafe and we needed to contain the gas leak first,” Allen said.

One building exploded, causing significant damage to another, and minor damage to two or three other buildings, officials said.

As for the two people who were seriously injured, Allen said he did not know where they were found because during such an incident, crews quickly pick them up and transport them to a nearby hospital.

Crews on scene include Oxford Township, Independence Township, Orion Township, Oakland Township, Rochester Hills, Auburn Hills and the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department.

Citizens were advised to stay at home while authorities investigated the scene.

“So if we had tornadoes along the way or the roads were blocked with tornadoes, we asked them to stay where they were,” Allen said. “The surrounding buildings have been checked and are now considered safe. If there was a suspicious building, we moved people elsewhere and were able to provide buses from this area to the relocation point. We’ve been able to handle everyone so far.”

“We were informed of the explosion in Orion Town earlier this evening and immediately sent a team to the scene. Since first responders are still actively fighting the fire, we have no additional information about the cause of the explosion or the condition of anyone in the building. Our crews will continue their work at the scene and as soon as first responders deem it safe to do so. “We are committed to the safety of residents and the community and will continue to work closely with public safety officials.”

Consumer Energy

The photo taken from the scene shows smoke and fire in the area. A viewer’s video shows a raging fire at the scene.

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said his office and multiple fire departments responded to the scene.

Bouchard says it’s a possible gas explosion.

Fire Chief Ryan Allen and Orion County Supervisor Chris Barnett give an update on the Orion County explosion

Orion County Fire Chief Ryan Allen speaks out about suspicious gas explosion that left 2 seriously injured