Addison Township, Detroit, MI- ADDISON TOWNSHIP, Mich.
A leaking liquid propane tank inside an Oakland County log home is suspected of setting off an explosion and fire that killed a man and his 20-month old son, a fire official said.
Addison Township Fire Chief George Spencer said the cause of the fire has not been determined by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office fire investigators, but all signs point toward the propane because of a confirmed gas explosion, The Detroit News reported Wednesday.
Authorities identified the victims as Michael Rivest, 43, and his 20-month-old son, Gage Rivest.
Six-year-old Hunter Rivest, who was found standing in the driveway in front of his house located about 40 miles north of Detroit, survived the blaze by listening to instructions from his parents.
“His mom said, ‘We always told the kids that if there was a fire, to go out this certain window,’ ” Sgt. Pete Burkett of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, told the Detroit Free Press for a Wednesday story. “And that’s the window he escaped through.”
Rivest’s wife, Karin, 43, and 9-year-old daughter, Rachel, weren’t at home at the time of the blast, which occurred around 6:30 p.m. Monday.
Undersheriff Mike McCabe said Michael Rivest may have been overcome by smoke while searching for Hunter.