LISTEN: 911 calls flood Royal Oak dispatch after explosion kills retired UAW union rep
Posted: 02/28/2013
ROYAL OAK (WXYZ) - "We ache for his family," said Vickie Thompson, a longtime friend of Dan Malczynski who was killed when his Royal Oak house exploded Wednesday.
Malczynski, 58, retired from General Motors in 2009 as a skilled trades committee member for UAW Local 5960 in Lake Orion.
"He was one great guy," said Thompson who also described Malczynski as an honest, dedicated man who loved his family and believed in the union.
When Malczynski's home on Cooper Avenue exploded, the 911 calls flooded into Royal Oak dispatchers.
"My whole house shook," said one caller.
Another caller said, "I can't believe what I just saw with my eyes." Others reported falling debris.
Two people who called 911 told dispatchers that the gas company, Consumers Energy, had been working in the neighborhood and left just before the deadly explosion that is now under investigation.
Thompson told 7 Action News Malczynski loved going up north where he had another home, but said he was looking forward to spending time in Florida, away from Michigan's cold weather.
Copyright 2013 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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