Officials Investigate House Explosion in Royal Oak

The Royal Oak Fire Chief is asking residents for help the morning after a ferocious explosion Wednesday leveled a house in the 4200 block of Cooper Avenue and took the life of a 58-year-old man. 

“If anyone smells or sees something odd they should call the Royal Oak Fire Department,” said Chief Chuck Thomas. “We still don’t know what caused this.”

Residents of Cooper and Elmwood avenues had to evacuate Wednesday evening, after a house explosion at 4:55 p.m. sent debris and shockwaves rumbling through the quiet neighbor near the intersection of Woodward Avenue and Normandy Roads. Several homeowners and businesses reported busted out glass and two adjacent homes suffered major damage.

Thomas said he was at the scene until 3 a.m. and will be heading back this morning to meet with the fire marshal, Consumers Energy officials and an arson squad from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department.

“The house was completely gone,” said Thomas. “We won’t know what caused it until we complete our investigation.”

Thomas would not speculate on how long it will take to investigate only saying, "It’s going to take a while."

You can contact the Royal Oak Fire Department at 248-246-3800.