MILFORD, Mich. (WXYZ) — Crews are trying to determine how an explosion and fire happened at the General Motors Proving Ground in Milford.
Multiple fire crews responded to 911 calls of the explosion just before 7 a.m. on Tuesday.
“Crews as they got closer could see the flames and the smoke. They determined it was here on what is considered a leased piece of property. And, it’s a natural gas processing area. So, they pull natural gas out of the ground," Brighton Fire Chief Michael O'Brian said.
Nine different fire crews were on scene battling the two-alarm fire from the natural gas processing tank near Pleasant Valley Road, just north of Hyne Road, in Brighton Township.
LISTEN: Brighton fire chief speaks on explosion at tank on GM Proving Ground
“The fire is out. And, they are working to keep some of the adjacent tanks cool as we work to inspect those tanks with the responsible party to make sure they’re safe," O'Brian said.
The explosion also rocked the adjacent neighborhood just west of the proving ground. The blast damaged two homes within several hundred feet of the facility.
Authorities say the blast could be felt from 5 miles away. Nearby neighbors say they were certainly startled.
"I thought maybe it was a house that exploded from a gas leak," Debra Rowe said. "It was like unusually big, right? And then the bed vibrated. So, whatever it was... it was that powerful."
WATCH BELOW: Video from Chopper 7 over the scene
Philip Raubinger, who was on his way to work, said “I heard a, I don’t know what I really heard, like an explosion, like a boom and I’m actually thinking it was something on my truck."
“It looked like the sun. I mean, just hit the clouds and it reflected back up. It was a yellow orange that hit it," he described.
Another resident told 7 News Detroit, “We were getting coffee and a big boom like a bomb went off. And my husband went, ‘what is that?!’ And, we looked out the front door. And we saw a big plume of smoke in the air."
While the fire is out, some residents say they're concerned about the safety of their drinking water.
“We did see an aerial view where they were foaming. And there’s a containment pod that looks like around the area of the oil tanks. If it breaches those containment ponds, we’re concerned that it could affect the wells in the area," Greg Graves, a concerned resident, said.
Watch our report from earlier in the day in the video player below:
“Has that been a problem before?” 7 News Detroit reporter Ryan Marshall asked.
"There’s an issue, I think, on the southeast corner of the proving grounds. It happened years ago. So, that’s always a concern when you’re on a well that the ground gets contaminated, could cause issues," Graves said.
“Our Hazmat team is out here as well. So, they’re working with EGLE, with GM and the provider. Anytime we have a combustible liquid fire like this, we always have to be concerned about where that product goes. So, most of it is being contained in some of the pits. Some has gotten outside of. And so, we’ll continue to monitor it. They’re working to get an analysis of what the product is and to see what those are," O'Brian added.
WATCH BELOW: More Chopper 7 video over the scene
The chief said an energy company called T2 Energy is leasing the space from General Motors and is scheduled to bring special equipment to knock down any vapors in the air.
The fire chief did say there were no injuries.
Below is a statement from General Motors:
“We are aware of an incident on the property at the Milford Proving Ground involving one of the oil wells located on GM property. Thankfully, no one was injured, and no facilities were damaged. GM fire crews are on the scene and have the incident under control. Local fire departments are standing by if needed. We will continue to monitor the situation.”
