YPSILANTI TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — An industrial explosion at a printing technology company in Ypsilanti Township Wednesday afternoon sent three people to the hospital and forced evacuations of neighboring businesses.
The blast occurred around 3 p.m. at Electronics for Imaging, located off I-94 near S. Huron Street.
Watch Jeffrey Lindblom's video report below:
The explosion left the building severely damaged, with one employee describing it as looking "like a tuna can" that had been "shredded."
Dion Raglin, an employee who was inside the building when the explosion happened, said the incident began when a work equipment vehicle ran into a gas line. About 75 employees were inside the facility when they started smelling gas.
"That's when the big old puff went boom," Raglin said.
After the gas leak was detected, managers began evacuating the building. Raglin described his manager as "hysterical, saying get everybody out of here, get everybody out of here."
Following the evacuation, three people went back inside to ensure everyone was accounted for and to activate an exhaust switch to remove the fumes from the building.
"Exhaust switch was in the back by all of the chemicals and stuff and as soon as he hit the exhaust," Raglin said. "That's what triggered it, the explosion."
Hear more from Dion Raglin below:
Ypsilanti Township Fire Chief Steven Densmore confirmed that first responders were able to rescue three people from inside the building after the blast.
Of the three injured, one person was transferred to University of Michigan Hospital, another was taken to Trinity Health and the third was treated at the scene. All three are reported to be in stable condition.
Hear details from the fire chief below:
"One guy got his leg broken, one guy got burnt on his back and then the other guy protected himself by covering like this," Raglin said.
The explosion prompted evacuations of neighboring businesses as a precaution. Hazmat crews were called to the scene due to the materials the company uses in its ink production operations.
Officials report that no contamination to nearby waterways or the surrounding area has been found.
The official cause of the explosion remains under investigation. All employees have been accounted for.
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