A large fire broke out Monday evening in an electronic cigarette store near Detroit, causing the death of a 19-year-old man who was walking a few hundred meters from the blaze.
The tens of thousands of electronic cigarettes located in the store exploded one by one, causing debris to be thrown more than a kilometer around, reports NBC News.
One of the projectiles hit the victim in the head, and he was pronounced dead in hospital.
A firefighter was also injured when debris flew through the window of his vehicle and hit him in the face.
“In 25 years, this is by far the largest fire I have ever seen,” explained Clinton Township Fire Chief Tim Duncan at a press conference. The building is almost completely destroyed by the flames.”
“Firefighters had difficulty accessing it due to the hundreds, if not thousands, of explosions that occurred,” he continues.
The fire was finally put out around 11 p.m. Monday evening, reports the New York Post.
The cause of the latter has not yet been revealed as authorities continue to investigate the event.
See footage of the blaze and explosions in the video above
