Rewrite the entire article provided by the user without any omissions or additions.: Hundreds of explosions from an industrial building fire rocked a Detroit suburb Monday night, sending debris far into the air. (Credit: WJBK)
The owner of a Michigan company that exploded in March, killing a 19-year-old and injuring a firefighter, was charged with involuntary manslaughter on Thursday after authorities received an alert that he attempted to leave the country with a one-way ticket to Hong Kong.
Noor Noel Kestou, 31, allegedly tried to flee the U.S. After the fatal explosion at his vape and smoke business, Goo Smoke Shop/Select Distributors, on March 4. Authorities said that Kestou illegally possessed and improperly stored nitrous oxide and butane cans during a press conference Friday morning.
“They shouldn’t have had this in there, period,” Clinton Police Chief Tim Duncan stated. “It wasn’t allowed in this district.”
During the explosion, which occurred around one mile away from Kestou’s business, illegal material rained down on civilians within a similar radius.
“There were some businesses that told us they had 30 holes in their ceiling from these rockets that were coming down on top of them,” Clinton Township Supervisor Bob Cannon said.
One canister killed 19-year-old Turner Lee Salter, who was a quarter mile away from the building. Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido stated during Friday’s press conference that involuntary manslaughter was the highest charge that could be given at this point in the investigation as more evidence is collected.
Kestou’s bond has been set for $500,000 — cash only — with other conditions upon his release: he must wear a GPS tether, surrender his passport and any weapons, and not leave the state. Lucido also stated that they did not know what Kestou’s “ultimate goal” was in attempting to flee the country as it could be related to having family members still residing within Michigan.
Chief Duncan noted during Friday’s press conference that the cause of the fire and subsequent explosion is still being investigated, and the intensity has been challenging for authorities due to how much destruction took place at once. “At this stage, they’re still at the undetermined aspect of it — but they cannot exclude human involvement in this fire at this time,” Duncan said. “They would still like to have more investigation, more information come from some of the witnesses.”
Fox News has reached out to Kestou’s attorney for comment. She is a native of Massachusetts and based in Orlando, Florida. Story tips and ideas can be sent to sarah.rumpf@fox.com and on X: @s_rumpfwhitten.
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