Supervisor: EPA to begin Goo Smoke Shop cleanup

CLINTON TOWNSHIP — Some resolution is coming at the site of the Goo Smoke Shop explosion, even if it’s just the physical part.

Clinton Township Supervisor Bob Cannon announced on Aug. 13 that the Environmental Protection Agency would begin its cleanup at the site of the Goo Smoke Shop explosion and that started Aug. 19, according to Cannon.

“Monday and Tuesday they’re going to allow anybody who is an investigator to come out onto the site and identify areas they want to get a closer look at underneath the debris that’s there,” he said in an interview following the announcement. “There are certain hotspots that will then be identified and uncovered. So those investigators will have an opportunity to see what was there that they were interested in.”

Cannon said the heavy equipment started to arrive and the larger part of the cleanup is expected to begin soon. He said the equipment is currently being guarded by a security firm hired by the EPA and that the insurance company has hired security to watch over the property itself.

“It’ll start slow, but by Labor Day it will be in full swing,” he said. “They expect total, from beginning to end, (it will take) about 100 days.”

The supervisor said Prosecuting Attorney Peter Lucido authorized the cleanup.

“I’m very happy with how the EPA has treated our staff and our community,” Cannon said.

The explosion happened March 4, 2024, and left one person, 19-year-old Turner Salter, dead. The business was located near the intersection of 15 Mile Road and Groesbeck Highway.

Noor Kestou, the owner of Goo Smoke Shop, currently faces an involuntary manslaughter charge. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 15 years. Kestour has a probable cause hearing in 41B District Court with Judge Sebastian Lucido on Oct. 28.

Cannon said he’s glad the cleanup is finally underway and urged residents to stay away from the site.

“It is still a site we don’t want people to get hurt at,” he said. “There are dangerous objects there. We don’t know everything that’s underneath. The EPA, while they’re cleaning this up, has to make sure the air is clean. They have to make sure everything is good for the neighborhood. We don’t want debris falling all around.”