MARYSVILLE, Mich. (WXYZ) - Fire fighters are still on the scene of a fire that was triggered by an explosion at a Marysville welding supply company.
It happened at South Park Welding Supply on Gratiot Boulevard, near the Marysville-Port Huron border. Witnesses say they heard three or four large blasts, and one man says he saw a tank shoot over his house and land in the St. Clair River. Witnesses also say they felt the walls of their houses shake.
Officials tell Action News that the explosion was set off when the injured man removed a cap from a tank at the welding supply company. It's not clear what sparked the explosion. The injured man's condition isn't known.
Businesses and homes near the scene have been evacuated. It's not clear when they will be allowed back. The Marysville police chief told the Times of Port Huron that anyone near the area should stay inside because of the possibility of chlorine gas.
The chemicals at the scene are also keeping investigators out of the building. They say they are waiting for the scene to stabilize until they go inside and begin their investigation.
Officials say that South Park Welding Supply is in compliance with all state and local regulations.
A woman living near the scene tells Action News that this isn't the first incident at the business. She says that another explosion happened 24 years ago. No one was injured in that blast, and no other incidents have been reported.
