One Man Killed, One Injured In Explosion
By: Mike Stiles -
Tuesday, February 6, 2024
(photos courtesy of Cass County Sheriff's Department)
(PENN TOWNSHIP) – One man is dead and another injured in an explosion that happened in Southern Michigan.
Cass County Sheriff Richard Behnke says his office assisted the Penn Township Fire Department in responding to an explosion and a fire at a petroleum pumping station in the 19,000 block of Bulhand Road in Penn Township.
The first calls came in at 3:50 PM Monday from area residents who heard a loud explosion, the force of which shook their homes.
First responders arrived at the pumping station, owned by Trak Oil Company of Port Huron, Michigan. The fire was put out and the investigation determined that two men were working on a tank when it exploded and started the fire.
One of men, 71 year old Charles Lawrence of Lakefort, Michigan, was killed in the incident. The other man, 38 year old Kevin Lawrence of Osceola, Indiana, sustained minor injuries.
Assisting at the scene was the Cass Area Fire Department and the Elkhart Fire Department, along with the SEPSA and SMACS Ambulance Services.
The incident is being investigated by the Michigan State Police Fire Marshall and the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.