CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — The federal government is leading a cleanup of the hazardous remains of a Detroit-area storage site for vaping supplies, five months after explosions destroyed the building, sent debris flying for miles and killed a man.
Goo Smoke Shop in Macomb County's Clinton Township was stuffed with vape pens, butane cannisters, nitrous oxide cylinders and lithium batteries. While loads of debris have been recovered in the surrounding area, there is still more work to be done.
“We don't know what we're going to find in there,” Sean Kane of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency told reporters Tuesday, though more butane and nitrous oxide are likely.
“We are actually going to go in and start segregating all the hazardous materials, and we will be doing a full removal of everything that you see in the background,” Kane said.
Behind a fence, the 28,000-square-foot property is in ruins. The roof collapsed during the March fire and explosions. Mounds of charred, twisted metal framed by a few steel girders still remain.
“We're going to be ramping up after Labor Day with more personnel on site,” said Kane, who is coordinating the effort.
Authorities said the disaster was caused by the poor storage of volatile materials. The owner has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of a 19-year-old man who was struck by a nitrous oxide cannister a quarter-mile away.
Kane said the EPA took on a larger role when cleanup talks between the government and responsible parties reached a standstill. The estimated cost is more than $2 million.
“There's a stockpile of materials here the local fire department didn't know about, the state of Michigan didn’t know about,” Kane said.
Clinton Township's top elected official, Supervisor Bob Cannon, said the EPA “grabbed it by the horns” and has been “fabulous.”
The owner said through his attorney that he doesn't have enough money to fix the mess, Cannon said.
“When they're done, this property will be pristine and it will go for sale, and we will have something here that we can be proud of again,” he said.
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The remains of a vaping supplies storage site on Aug. 27, 2024, five months after it was destroyed by fire in Clinton Township, Mich. (Ed White via AP)
Sean Kane from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency stands at the former site of a vaping supplies warehouse in Clinton Township, Mich., on Aug. 27, 2024. (Ed White via AP)
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Authorities in Mexico's resort-studded Los Cabos area warned tourists and residents alike to stay inside Friday as Tropical Storm Ileana began to pound the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula with rain.
Ileana formed Thursday off the Pacific coast of Mexico and was lumbering north-northwest at 7 mph (11 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. The forecast path would take it over or near the twin resorts of San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas.
Ileana was centered about 35 miles (90 kilometers) east-southeast of Cabo San Lucas, the center said in a Friday afternoon advisory. Maximum sustained winds were at 45 mph (75 kph), and Ileana was expected to reach the coast in the next few hours.
A tropical storm warning was in effect for portions of the Baja California Peninsula, including Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo. Forecasters predicted 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 centimeters) of rain would fall with Ileana, and up to 12 inches (30 centimeters) was possible for coastal areas of Michoacan, Colima, and Jalisco states through Friday.
Ileana is expected to move across the southern portion of the Baja California peninsula Friday and over the southern and central Gulf of California this weekend.
Tropical storm conditions are expected to begin in portions of Baja California Sur during the next several hours where Tropical Storm Warnings are in effect. This heavy rainfall will bring a risk of flash flooding and mudslides to portions of western Mexico and southern Baja California.
Los Cabos Civil Protection issued a red alert for Los Cabos and La Paz on Friday morning. “Stay totally indoors, do not go outside until authorities advise, and be aware of alerts issued by authorities,” they shared on Facebook.
They also urged residents to avoid crossing rivers, streams, and low areas where they can be swept away by water.
All schools in Los Cabos were also suspended Friday due to the storm.
Óscar Cruces Rodríguez of Mexico’s federal Civil Protection said in a statement that residents should avoid leaving their homes until the storm passes and if residents are in an area at risk of flooding to find temporary shelters.
Authorities prepared 20 temporary shelters in San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas, according to Los Cabos Civil Protection.
At the Hacienda Beach Club and Residences in Cabo San Lucas, valet worker Alan Galvan said the rain arrived late Thursday night and has been constant. “The rain isn't very strong right now, but the waves are choppy," he said.
“The guests are very calm and already came down for coffee,” Galvan said. “There's some flights canceled but everything is ok at the moment.” Galvan said they are awaiting further advisories from authorities.
Felipe Gomez, a worker at the Vibrant Cabo San Lucas Marina Restaurant was the first to arrive at work, but was awaiting orders from management on whether they would close.
“Honestly it’s pretty ugly right now, the whole main boulevard is flooded and all the businesses are closed,” he said.
“I’m waiting for them to confirm and then I’ll go home," he said. "I hope it gets better and conditions don’t worsen.”
Hotels stand along the shore before the arrival of Tropical Storm Ileana in San Jose de los Cabos, Mexico, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Armando Figaredo)
This satellite image taken at 12:40 pm ET on Sept. 13, 2024, provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shows Tropical Storm Ileana at Mexico's southern tip of the Baja California peninsula. (NOAA via AP)
