Royal Oak house explosion kills 1 person, rocks community

A house exploded Wednesday evening on Cooper Avenue near Woodward Avenue and Normandy Road in Royal Oak, sending debris across the neighborhood, rocking nearby communities and killing at least one person. It is unclear if anyone else was in the home at the time of the explosion. The Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office has confirmed one death, a 58-year-old Royal Oak resident. The person’s identity has not been released. The cause of the explosion is not yet confirmed. However, Local 4 has learned Consumers Energy was doing utility work earlier in the day on the street. The explosion appears to be caused by natural gas.