Cause of blast at Mich. home under investigation
2/28/2013ROYAL OAK, Mich. — Officials are investigating the cause of an explosion that leveled a suburban Detroit home, killing a man and damaging other houses.
Consumers Energy says its crews had been on the street in Royal Oak where Wednesday's blast happened in recent days to replace a natural gas main. It wasn't known whether that was related to the blast.
The subsidiary of Jackson-based CMS Energy Corp. says it's working with police, fire and state officials on an investigation, which could take months.
National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Peter Knudson says today the agency is collecting information about the blast.
The blast around 5 p.m. was heard several miles away. Burning and smoking wood planks from the home were scattered nearby as firefighters rushed to put out the flames. Nearby homes were damaged.