1 Dead, 1 Hurt After Explosion, Fire At MI Petroleum Station: Sheriff

CASS COUNTY, MI — A man was killed and another was injured after a Monday blast and fire at a petroleum pumping station in southwest Michigan, according to the Cass County Sheriff's Office.

Officials said a 71-year-old Lakefort man and a 38-year-old Osceola, IN man were working on a tank at the pumping station, located in the 19000 block of Bulhand Rd in Calvin Township, at 3:50 p.m. when it exploded and caused a fire.

The 71-year-old man was killed and the 38-year-old man suffered minor injuries in the explosion and fire, according to the sheriff's office.

Multiple neighbors told officers that the explosion was so loud it shook their homes and was felt for miles around, according to the sheriff's office.

The station, which is owned by Trak Oil company in Port Huron, is roughly 10 miles east of Edwardsburg in Calvin Township near the Indiana border, police said.

Investigators were still trying to determine what caused the explosion.

The Michigan State Police Fire Marshal and the state’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy are investigating the incident.