Wayne County sheriff's deputies raided the after-hours club about 4 a.m. Sunday. Officials said there were at least 450 people in the old car garage that had been operated as the Power Plant nightclub.
Deputies arrested a 42-year-old Detroit man suspected of being the club's operator. He was wanted on several felony warrants.
They also arrested about 20 other people with outstanding felony warrants and issued more than 350 misdemeanor tickets.
Wayne County Sheriff Warren Evans said he was most troubled by the potential for fire deaths.
``It could have been another Rhode Island,'' Evans said. ``If this place caught fire, it would have been horrific. In addition to only one door, there was not a single fire extinguisher to be found.''
The building also had illegal electric and gas connections, and workers from DTE Energy were at the raid to disconnect them.
The sheriff's department raided the club after several weeks of investigation based on neighbors' complaints of loud noise and traffic congestion in the middle of the night.
