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Bho Disasters (PLEASE READ!)
- Thread starter Crooked8
- Start date
I'm sorry that I gave credence to the news story claim of "CLS." If you search through the video and stills, there is no recovery pump or braided stainless steel hoses shown, not even a collection chamber. What is shown is a sanitary fitting dewaxing extraction column and a lot of butane cans, it could well have been an open extraction, also notice the bottles of Everclear. The details of this explosion would be of extreme value to the community... tickles my fancy to inquire of the investigators in full openness of who I am, and why I want to know, seriously.
At 0:58 is shown two CPS boxes, are those vacuum pump boxes or recovery pump boxes? Not a rhetorical question...
A vacuum pump, but no recovery pump or recovery lower pot for either passive or active recovery.
Using Puretane canned butane in greater than casual quantities.
Ethanol, ostensibly from winterizing. They may have been using the vacuum pump there.
Couldn't read the label on the large container being stuffed into a hazmat barrel.
Looks like they were open blasting indoors, using a DI jacket to chill the column, in an attempt to reduce the need for winterization.
How would you like to have that happen next door?
Using Puretane canned butane in greater than casual quantities.
Ethanol, ostensibly from winterizing. They may have been using the vacuum pump there.
Couldn't read the label on the large container being stuffed into a hazmat barrel.
Looks like they were open blasting indoors, using a DI jacket to chill the column, in an attempt to reduce the need for winterization.
How would you like to have that happen next door?
Attachments
Ive NEVER operated my CLS systems indoors...
Dont understand why anyone would want too...
Dont understand why anyone would want too...
In this video you can see an explosion on tape!!!
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Honey-Oil-Lab-Epidemic-Investigation-301111561.html
These guys are lucky to be alive. Especially with all of those cases of butane right there.
Notice the explosion trails from one room to the other low to the ground. You can really see how butane sinks in our atmosphere.
The explosion video starts at 0;40 seconds into the video.
Stay safe brothers. Outside and well ventilated!
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Honey-Oil-Lab-Epidemic-Investigation-301111561.html
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Honey-Oil-Lab-Epidemic-Investigation-301111561.html
These guys are lucky to be alive. Especially with all of those cases of butane right there.
Notice the explosion trails from one room to the other low to the ground. You can really see how butane sinks in our atmosphere.
The explosion video starts at 0;40 seconds into the video.
Stay safe brothers. Outside and well ventilated!
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Honey-Oil-Lab-Epidemic-Investigation-301111561.html
So they obviously learned the hard way that just because a room is fucking huge, the butane still pools around you, just waiting for a source of ignition! I can't believe that people are this fucking stupid. Safety is the most important thing first and foremost.
and still, people would rather now use the CLS pipe bomb theory and still bash anyone trying to do it safely, when in reality a properly operated system run outdoors or in a Neg Pressure or down draft setting with forced air removal and relief valves connecting to empty overflow tanks could save ones life, as opposed to endangering it.
NEVER INDOORS, EVER..(if you must O.B) and think about eliminating static charges by grounding yourself with a simple grounding wire/wristband edit: (thx Skyhighler) ...could have saved these 2 gentlemen some nasty pains in the ass.
and still, people would rather now use the CLS pipe bomb theory and still bash anyone trying to do it safely, when in reality a properly operated system run outdoors or in a Neg Pressure or down draft setting with forced air removal and relief valves connecting to empty overflow tanks could save ones life, as opposed to endangering it.
NEVER INDOORS, EVER..(if you must O.B) and think about eliminating static charges by grounding yourself with a simple grounding wire/wristband edit: (thx Skyhighler) ...could have saved these 2 gentlemen some nasty pains in the ass.
http://globalnews.ca/news/2032590/house-explosion-likely-not-a-small-drug-operation-local-chemist/
Crime
June 2, 2015 8:45 pm
House explosion likely not a small drug operation: Local chemist
By Teri Fikowski
REGINA – Three people are facing a number of drug-related charges in connection to a house explosion that rocked a north-west neighbourhood more than three months ago.
Police say the trio were allegedly processing illegal drugs inside the basement of the home, and add they anticipate more charges to come against a fourth man.
Related
Charges laid after house explosion rocks a North Regina community Charges laid after house explosion rocks a North Regina community
House explosion Neighbours in disbelief after north Regina explosion
Global News
“One of the reasons for the time taken in the investigation is one of the persons charged was one of the people injured,” said Elizabeth Popowich with the Regina Police Service. “So while his medical treatments were a higher priority it simply wouldn’t have been practical to bring him here.”
After months of investigation, two men and a woman were charged with producing cannabis resin, among other offenses.
The resin is made using a solvent to extract and concentrate the buds or leaves of a marijuana plant.
Robert Scott Murphy, a professor in the University of Regina’s Chemistry and Biochemistry department, said the production often involves a substance like butane and a heat source which is a dangerous mix.
“If they’re trying to basically boil it off then that’s when the risk goes up because if they are trying to boil off butane, butane vapors can ignite in the presence of a heat source. So, that can then cause an explosion.”
Chemicals used aren’t always difficult to get your hands on, but for an explosion of this magnitude it was likely a large operation.
“I think to have that much damage to a piece of property would have to involve quite a large amount of a flammable gas or solvent,” added Murphy.
[Not sure where Regina might be, is that in Canada?]
Crime
June 2, 2015 8:45 pm
House explosion likely not a small drug operation: Local chemist
By Teri Fikowski
REGINA – Three people are facing a number of drug-related charges in connection to a house explosion that rocked a north-west neighbourhood more than three months ago.
Police say the trio were allegedly processing illegal drugs inside the basement of the home, and add they anticipate more charges to come against a fourth man.
Related
Charges laid after house explosion rocks a North Regina community Charges laid after house explosion rocks a North Regina community
House explosion Neighbours in disbelief after north Regina explosion
Global News
“One of the reasons for the time taken in the investigation is one of the persons charged was one of the people injured,” said Elizabeth Popowich with the Regina Police Service. “So while his medical treatments were a higher priority it simply wouldn’t have been practical to bring him here.”
After months of investigation, two men and a woman were charged with producing cannabis resin, among other offenses.
The resin is made using a solvent to extract and concentrate the buds or leaves of a marijuana plant.
Robert Scott Murphy, a professor in the University of Regina’s Chemistry and Biochemistry department, said the production often involves a substance like butane and a heat source which is a dangerous mix.
“If they’re trying to basically boil it off then that’s when the risk goes up because if they are trying to boil off butane, butane vapors can ignite in the presence of a heat source. So, that can then cause an explosion.”
Chemicals used aren’t always difficult to get your hands on, but for an explosion of this magnitude it was likely a large operation.
“I think to have that much damage to a piece of property would have to involve quite a large amount of a flammable gas or solvent,” added Murphy.
[Not sure where Regina might be, is that in Canada?]
"Suspected Hash Oil Explosion At Nevada City Home Injures Child, 2 Arrested
May 2, 2015 10:25 PM
NEVADA CITY (CBS13) – A man who claims he had to save his baby and fiancée during an explosion at their home has now been arrested.
“I have no doubt that there is a butane honey oil lab inside the residence,” said Sgt. Justin Martin of the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office.
As firefighters worked to put out hotspots at the home on Rocker Road that went up in flames Saturday afternoon, you can see what used to be the kitchen.
It’s where David Schwab had told us he and his fiancée were with their baby girl when the refrigerator door suddenly blew off.
“Yes, it blew off solidly. Like, I’ve never seen anything like that before,” Schwab said.
He says he raced to get his family out.
“Thank God my baby wasn’t walking around the kitchen because she usually walks right by the refrigerator,” Schwab said.
Authorities say the woman and baby suffered minor injuries and are out of the hospital.
But the family’s problems don’t end there. Narcotics investigators will be at the scene all night. They think someone may have been chemically extracting THC from marijuana using butane and that could have led to the blast.
“This isn’t an uncommon thing. We get a lot of these structure fires. A lot of these labs will blow up and all it takes is the slightest spark,” Sgt. Martin said.
Before he was detained, Schwab told us his daughter is his number one priority.
“Tomorrow’s her birthday so I don’t know. It’s hard to put the pieces back together,” Schwab said.
But now, things are much more serious.
Schwab and another man are facing charges of manufacturing a controlled substance and felony child endangerment. More charges could be coming, since authorities say a dog died in this fire.
Neighbors also say that about 15 years ago, authorities were out at the same home to investigate a meth lab."
http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2015...at-nevada-city-home-injures-child-2-arrested/
Butane in the refrigerator/freezer, house destroyed, young child in the house, felony child endangerment charges, and they killed their dog.
May 2, 2015 10:25 PM
NEVADA CITY (CBS13) – A man who claims he had to save his baby and fiancée during an explosion at their home has now been arrested.
“I have no doubt that there is a butane honey oil lab inside the residence,” said Sgt. Justin Martin of the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office.
As firefighters worked to put out hotspots at the home on Rocker Road that went up in flames Saturday afternoon, you can see what used to be the kitchen.
It’s where David Schwab had told us he and his fiancée were with their baby girl when the refrigerator door suddenly blew off.
“Yes, it blew off solidly. Like, I’ve never seen anything like that before,” Schwab said.
He says he raced to get his family out.
“Thank God my baby wasn’t walking around the kitchen because she usually walks right by the refrigerator,” Schwab said.
Authorities say the woman and baby suffered minor injuries and are out of the hospital.
But the family’s problems don’t end there. Narcotics investigators will be at the scene all night. They think someone may have been chemically extracting THC from marijuana using butane and that could have led to the blast.
“This isn’t an uncommon thing. We get a lot of these structure fires. A lot of these labs will blow up and all it takes is the slightest spark,” Sgt. Martin said.
Before he was detained, Schwab told us his daughter is his number one priority.
“Tomorrow’s her birthday so I don’t know. It’s hard to put the pieces back together,” Schwab said.
But now, things are much more serious.
Schwab and another man are facing charges of manufacturing a controlled substance and felony child endangerment. More charges could be coming, since authorities say a dog died in this fire.
Neighbors also say that about 15 years ago, authorities were out at the same home to investigate a meth lab."
http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2015...at-nevada-city-home-injures-child-2-arrested/
Butane in the refrigerator/freezer, house destroyed, young child in the house, felony child endangerment charges, and they killed their dog.
Im so glad i quit blasting. Its been a long time and i miss it but ill never produce bho again. I never blasted inside and i never had any problems, but it still sketches me out to see all these horrible scenarios. Glad we are making others aware.
Yup, here in Canada sadly....we have our very own crop of BHOTards here...
Should be interesting as manufacturing resin has a Mandatory Min Jail sentence attached as a "perk" here in Canada.
Should be interesting as manufacturing resin has a Mandatory Min Jail sentence attached as a "perk" here in Canada.
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/...ars-in-Bellevue-hash-oil-blast-306416821.html
This is a follow up of a butane explosion that happened about a year ago in a 10 unit apartment building that caused the death of former mayor of Bellevue, Washington. All of those involved are going to prison. This is all caused by people extracting inside, it can't be done safely, there are two many points of ignition. One day in a burn ward costs from $4,000 to $7000 per day, with 3rd degree burns you might be in for 3 months and then comes the attorney fee's and who knows what that will cost. Then you have to add the time in the CrossBar Hotel where you'll be domiciled for a good while. Get a closed loop or take it to some on that has a rig and cut a deal. Anyone know what someone would charge 25% or ??
Feds seek maximum of 10 years in Bellevue hash-oil blast
By GENE JOHNSON Associated Press Published: Jun 7, 2015 at 11:40 AM PDT Last Updated: Jun 7, 2015 at 2:18 PM PDT
Feds seek maximum of 10 years in Bellevue hash-oil blast
In this 2013 photo provided by the Bellevue Fire Department, the smoldering remains of a 10-unit building at the Hampton Greens Apartments are shown after an explosion from a hash-oil extraction operation in Bellevue, Wash. (Steve Sexton/Bellevue Fire Department via AP)
Photos »
SEATTLE (AP) - Federal prosecutors are seeking a 10-year, maximum sentence for a man who joined two tech workers in running a hash-oil operation that exploded in 2013, destroying a Bellevue apartment building and causing the death of a former mayor.
David Richard Schultz II is being sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court, and federal prosecutors say they want to send a message to others who might think Washington's legalization of marijuana in 2012 gave them license to engage in dangerous home production of potent pot extracts.
"If Washington's experiment in decriminalizing marijuana is to succeed, it is important to send a public message that merely because some marijuana-related activity is now tolerated, that does not mean that those who go too far ... will escape prosecution and significant criminal sanction," the U.S. attorney's office wrote in a sentencing memo.
Nan Campbell, an 87-year-old former Bellevue councilwoman and the city's first female mayor, was sleeping in another unit when the explosion rocked the three-level building at the Hampton Greens Apartments on Nov. 5, 2013. She tripped as she escaped, broke her pelvis and died of complications two weeks later.
One of her daughters, Patty Campbell, said her mom remained vibrant, independent and involved in Bellevue's civic life until her death.
"We figured she had at least 20 years left," Campbell said. "We feel that ultimately these three, especially David Schultz, are responsible for our mother's death."
Two residents suffered broken bones when they dropped from windows or balconies to escape, and property damage topped $2 million. Schultz suffered bad burns to his hands and head - indicating he was likely making hash oil when the explosion happened, prosecutors said.
Schultz, 32, was staying at an apartment rented by two men, Daniel James Strycharske and Jesse D. Kaplan, who worked at software companies that contracted with Microsoft. Schultz had met them at Seattle Hempfest, a marijuana celebration that draws tens of thousands of people every year.
Strycharske and Kaplan provided the money and the apartment for the hash oil operation, while Schultz provided the expertise, prosecutors said. All three have pleaded guilty to drug charges, including endangering human life while manufacturing a controlled substance.
To extract the oil, Schultz had been using butane - a gas that can sink and pool because it's denser than air, leaving it vulnerable to explosions even at small sparks from appliances. Such explosions have become more common as the popularity of hash oil spreads, and just this year, Washington lawmakers clarified the state's marijuana laws to reiterate that only state-licensed processors are allowed to use butane to make hash oil.
Prompted by a worker's complaint, a police officer visited the apartment weeks before the explosion and warned Schultz that it would be dangerous to use butane in a residential building, prosecutors said. Schultz denied he was doing so, and the officer left.
Seattle U.S. Attorney Annette Hayes said that of a dozen people charged by her office with hash-oil operations that exploded or posed risk to uninvolved people in the past two years, this case represents "the worst possible scenario."
She noted that after his release from the hospital, Schultz left Washington for Los Angeles - where police found him in a motel room with equipment for a hash operation, including butane. "He was right back doing the same thing," Hayes said.
That's part of the reason prosecutors consider Schultz more culpable than his co-defendants. Federal probation officials recommended four-year terms for the other two.
Schultz's lawyer, assistant federal public defender Mohammad Hamoudi, said his client - who had been impoverished, severely beaten as a child, mostly homeless and mentally ill - should not be held more responsible.
"Without his co-defendants' marijuana plants, money, and apartment, this offense would likely not have occurred," Hamoudi wrote. "It is troubling that Probation would suggest that Mr. Strycharske and Mr. Kaplan, who unlike Mr. Schultz had financial opportunities at Microsoft, deserve a 48-month sentence in this case as opposed to a 120-month sentence for Mr. Schultz."
In a three-and-a-half page letter to the court, Schultz apologized "to everyone affected" and said he was sleeping - not making hash - when the explosion occurred.
"I only got involved in this because I thought that the legalization movement of marijuana in Washington would provide me with funds to be a part of my boys lives, and it went so far in the opposite direction I can't think of it without crying, or having a panic attack," he wrote. "Looking back and seeing the percentage that marijuana took up of my life makes me sick."
This is a follow up of a butane explosion that happened about a year ago in a 10 unit apartment building that caused the death of former mayor of Bellevue, Washington. All of those involved are going to prison. This is all caused by people extracting inside, it can't be done safely, there are two many points of ignition. One day in a burn ward costs from $4,000 to $7000 per day, with 3rd degree burns you might be in for 3 months and then comes the attorney fee's and who knows what that will cost. Then you have to add the time in the CrossBar Hotel where you'll be domiciled for a good while. Get a closed loop or take it to some on that has a rig and cut a deal. Anyone know what someone would charge 25% or ??
Feds seek maximum of 10 years in Bellevue hash-oil blast
By GENE JOHNSON Associated Press Published: Jun 7, 2015 at 11:40 AM PDT Last Updated: Jun 7, 2015 at 2:18 PM PDT
Feds seek maximum of 10 years in Bellevue hash-oil blast
In this 2013 photo provided by the Bellevue Fire Department, the smoldering remains of a 10-unit building at the Hampton Greens Apartments are shown after an explosion from a hash-oil extraction operation in Bellevue, Wash. (Steve Sexton/Bellevue Fire Department via AP)
Photos »
SEATTLE (AP) - Federal prosecutors are seeking a 10-year, maximum sentence for a man who joined two tech workers in running a hash-oil operation that exploded in 2013, destroying a Bellevue apartment building and causing the death of a former mayor.
David Richard Schultz II is being sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court, and federal prosecutors say they want to send a message to others who might think Washington's legalization of marijuana in 2012 gave them license to engage in dangerous home production of potent pot extracts.
"If Washington's experiment in decriminalizing marijuana is to succeed, it is important to send a public message that merely because some marijuana-related activity is now tolerated, that does not mean that those who go too far ... will escape prosecution and significant criminal sanction," the U.S. attorney's office wrote in a sentencing memo.
Nan Campbell, an 87-year-old former Bellevue councilwoman and the city's first female mayor, was sleeping in another unit when the explosion rocked the three-level building at the Hampton Greens Apartments on Nov. 5, 2013. She tripped as she escaped, broke her pelvis and died of complications two weeks later.
One of her daughters, Patty Campbell, said her mom remained vibrant, independent and involved in Bellevue's civic life until her death.
"We figured she had at least 20 years left," Campbell said. "We feel that ultimately these three, especially David Schultz, are responsible for our mother's death."
Two residents suffered broken bones when they dropped from windows or balconies to escape, and property damage topped $2 million. Schultz suffered bad burns to his hands and head - indicating he was likely making hash oil when the explosion happened, prosecutors said.
Schultz, 32, was staying at an apartment rented by two men, Daniel James Strycharske and Jesse D. Kaplan, who worked at software companies that contracted with Microsoft. Schultz had met them at Seattle Hempfest, a marijuana celebration that draws tens of thousands of people every year.
Strycharske and Kaplan provided the money and the apartment for the hash oil operation, while Schultz provided the expertise, prosecutors said. All three have pleaded guilty to drug charges, including endangering human life while manufacturing a controlled substance.
To extract the oil, Schultz had been using butane - a gas that can sink and pool because it's denser than air, leaving it vulnerable to explosions even at small sparks from appliances. Such explosions have become more common as the popularity of hash oil spreads, and just this year, Washington lawmakers clarified the state's marijuana laws to reiterate that only state-licensed processors are allowed to use butane to make hash oil.
Prompted by a worker's complaint, a police officer visited the apartment weeks before the explosion and warned Schultz that it would be dangerous to use butane in a residential building, prosecutors said. Schultz denied he was doing so, and the officer left.
Seattle U.S. Attorney Annette Hayes said that of a dozen people charged by her office with hash-oil operations that exploded or posed risk to uninvolved people in the past two years, this case represents "the worst possible scenario."
She noted that after his release from the hospital, Schultz left Washington for Los Angeles - where police found him in a motel room with equipment for a hash operation, including butane. "He was right back doing the same thing," Hayes said.
That's part of the reason prosecutors consider Schultz more culpable than his co-defendants. Federal probation officials recommended four-year terms for the other two.
Schultz's lawyer, assistant federal public defender Mohammad Hamoudi, said his client - who had been impoverished, severely beaten as a child, mostly homeless and mentally ill - should not be held more responsible.
"Without his co-defendants' marijuana plants, money, and apartment, this offense would likely not have occurred," Hamoudi wrote. "It is troubling that Probation would suggest that Mr. Strycharske and Mr. Kaplan, who unlike Mr. Schultz had financial opportunities at Microsoft, deserve a 48-month sentence in this case as opposed to a 120-month sentence for Mr. Schultz."
In a three-and-a-half page letter to the court, Schultz apologized "to everyone affected" and said he was sleeping - not making hash - when the explosion occurred.
"I only got involved in this because I thought that the legalization movement of marijuana in Washington would provide me with funds to be a part of my boys lives, and it went so far in the opposite direction I can't think of it without crying, or having a panic attack," he wrote. "Looking back and seeing the percentage that marijuana took up of my life makes me sick."
Hash oil burns a problem for Calif. hospitals
Stop using butane inside homes, apartments or any inclosed areas, this is becoming a real health issue and its so easy to stop the explosions. For less than $2000 you can make your own closed extraction system and there has been only 2 explosions [Nationwide in the last two years] that might have been involved with butane and closed systems [this is only suppositions by people reading this site so far, no proof that I know of exists.] If you are in a butane detonation you will be burnt black, you will go to the hospital and your medical bills will be in the $hundreds of thousands, then you'll go to prison, very little is worth the grief that you'll be in, don't do it.
Associated Press
SACRAMENTO — Tracey Clark’s two teenage sons landed in intensive care, enveloped in gauze and their faces raw and red from burns over 40 to 60 percent of their bodies suffered in a fire, which prosecutors say was caused by an illegal hash-oil lab at their uncle’s duplex.
“I was scared they were going to die,” said Clark.
Similar scenes have played out throughout California in recent years as intense fires from the illegal manufacture of butane hash oil — cheap and easy to make but extremely volatile — have exploded, the Sacramento Bee reported Sunday.
At two of Northern California’s major burn treatment centers — UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento and Shriners Hospitals for Children, Northern California — injuries from butane hash-oil explosions account for 8 to 10 percent of severe burn cases, a larger percentage than from car wrecks and house fires combined, said Dr. David Greenhalgh, chief burn surgeon at both hospitals.
“It’s kind of an epidemic for us,” Greenhalgh said. There have been times when half of the 12 beds in UC Davis’ burn unit were filled with patients injured in hash-oil explosions, he said.
Between 2007 and 2014, 101 patients with suspected or confirmed burns from butane fires were admitted to the two hospitals, most of them in the past three years, according to Greenhalgh. Most were adults, but six of the admitted patients were under 18.
Statewide, illegal manufacturing of hash oil has become a public health menace on a par with illegal methamphetamine labs in prior decades. While federal and state statistics on butane hash-oil explosions are not readily available, there are numerous reports of arrests and fires at the local level.
In Butte County, for instance, prosecutors said 31 illegal hash-oil operations were uncovered in 2014. “We’re already on track to exceed that this year,” District Attorney Michael Ramsey said. The numbers are similar to the annual count of meth labs the county was breaking up in the 1980s and ‘90s, he said.
Butane hash oil, a highly concentrated form of cannabis, is illegal to manufacture but is legal to sell under California’s medical marijuana law, meaning dispensaries must get their supply from illicit operations, according to law enforcement officials.
Hash oil, made from discarded marijuana trimmings and used to make cookies and candies, sells for $800 to $1,300 per pound wholesale and can have a retail street value of $22,000 per pound.
The lucrative market is helping to drive hash-oil production, while the wide availability of online videos and inexpensive supplies is compounding the number of tragic fires, said law enforcement and medical professionals.
Lawmakers are looking at ways to regulate the sale of butane. A bill introduced in February would prohibit any individual from buying more than 400 milliliters of butane in a month and impose reporting requirements on retailers.
Stop using butane inside homes, apartments or any inclosed areas, this is becoming a real health issue and its so easy to stop the explosions. For less than $2000 you can make your own closed extraction system and there has been only 2 explosions [Nationwide in the last two years] that might have been involved with butane and closed systems [this is only suppositions by people reading this site so far, no proof that I know of exists.] If you are in a butane detonation you will be burnt black, you will go to the hospital and your medical bills will be in the $hundreds of thousands, then you'll go to prison, very little is worth the grief that you'll be in, don't do it.
Associated Press
SACRAMENTO — Tracey Clark’s two teenage sons landed in intensive care, enveloped in gauze and their faces raw and red from burns over 40 to 60 percent of their bodies suffered in a fire, which prosecutors say was caused by an illegal hash-oil lab at their uncle’s duplex.
“I was scared they were going to die,” said Clark.
Similar scenes have played out throughout California in recent years as intense fires from the illegal manufacture of butane hash oil — cheap and easy to make but extremely volatile — have exploded, the Sacramento Bee reported Sunday.
At two of Northern California’s major burn treatment centers — UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento and Shriners Hospitals for Children, Northern California — injuries from butane hash-oil explosions account for 8 to 10 percent of severe burn cases, a larger percentage than from car wrecks and house fires combined, said Dr. David Greenhalgh, chief burn surgeon at both hospitals.
“It’s kind of an epidemic for us,” Greenhalgh said. There have been times when half of the 12 beds in UC Davis’ burn unit were filled with patients injured in hash-oil explosions, he said.
Between 2007 and 2014, 101 patients with suspected or confirmed burns from butane fires were admitted to the two hospitals, most of them in the past three years, according to Greenhalgh. Most were adults, but six of the admitted patients were under 18.
Statewide, illegal manufacturing of hash oil has become a public health menace on a par with illegal methamphetamine labs in prior decades. While federal and state statistics on butane hash-oil explosions are not readily available, there are numerous reports of arrests and fires at the local level.
In Butte County, for instance, prosecutors said 31 illegal hash-oil operations were uncovered in 2014. “We’re already on track to exceed that this year,” District Attorney Michael Ramsey said. The numbers are similar to the annual count of meth labs the county was breaking up in the 1980s and ‘90s, he said.
Butane hash oil, a highly concentrated form of cannabis, is illegal to manufacture but is legal to sell under California’s medical marijuana law, meaning dispensaries must get their supply from illicit operations, according to law enforcement officials.
Hash oil, made from discarded marijuana trimmings and used to make cookies and candies, sells for $800 to $1,300 per pound wholesale and can have a retail street value of $22,000 per pound.
The lucrative market is helping to drive hash-oil production, while the wide availability of online videos and inexpensive supplies is compounding the number of tragic fires, said law enforcement and medical professionals.
Lawmakers are looking at ways to regulate the sale of butane. A bill introduced in February would prohibit any individual from buying more than 400 milliliters of butane in a month and impose reporting requirements on retailers.
https://www.icmag.com/ic/forumdisplay.php?f=31
The blast occurred when Stacy lit a cigarette while using butane gas to extract THC, marijuana's active ingredient, according to prosecutors.
This is an example of those that continue to use other than a closed system, this is what can happen and this is the sentence the man is looking at right now; 120 months to serve says the judge when he hands down the sentence. When a federal judge say's 120 months to serve means there is no early out, you serve every fucking day. Unless your a recidivist or con wise you don't even know that the Judge just gave you a shit sandwich that you'll have to eat daily; 120 months is long enough for a dog to be born and die of old age before you walk out the front door of the CrossBar Hotel. For less than $2000 you can make a closed system, thats 1/3 of the cost of one day in the hospital for burns. Get fucking smart and stop using butane in homes or apartments.
Man convicted of federal charge in Portland hash oil explosion
A 56-year-old man has admitted to causing a hash oil explosion in Southeast Portland last December that injured himself and blew out an apartment wall.
Edwin L. Stacy pleaded guilty on Thursday to endangering human life while manufacturing a controlled substance, federal court records show. An additional charge of manufacturing hash oil was dropped as part of a plea agreement.
Stacy is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court in October. He faces up to 10 years in prison, prosecutors say.
The explosion at the apartment building in the 17200 block of Southeast Powell Boulevard displaced four people and required Stacy being taken to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center for treatment, Portland Fire & Rescue said at the time.
The blast occurred when Stacy lit a cigarette while using butane gas to extract THC, marijuana's active ingredient, according to prosecutors.
The blast occurred when Stacy lit a cigarette while using butane gas to extract THC, marijuana's active ingredient, according to prosecutors.
This is an example of those that continue to use other than a closed system, this is what can happen and this is the sentence the man is looking at right now; 120 months to serve says the judge when he hands down the sentence. When a federal judge say's 120 months to serve means there is no early out, you serve every fucking day. Unless your a recidivist or con wise you don't even know that the Judge just gave you a shit sandwich that you'll have to eat daily; 120 months is long enough for a dog to be born and die of old age before you walk out the front door of the CrossBar Hotel. For less than $2000 you can make a closed system, thats 1/3 of the cost of one day in the hospital for burns. Get fucking smart and stop using butane in homes or apartments.
Man convicted of federal charge in Portland hash oil explosion
A 56-year-old man has admitted to causing a hash oil explosion in Southeast Portland last December that injured himself and blew out an apartment wall.
Edwin L. Stacy pleaded guilty on Thursday to endangering human life while manufacturing a controlled substance, federal court records show. An additional charge of manufacturing hash oil was dropped as part of a plea agreement.
Stacy is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court in October. He faces up to 10 years in prison, prosecutors say.
The explosion at the apartment building in the 17200 block of Southeast Powell Boulevard displaced four people and required Stacy being taken to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center for treatment, Portland Fire & Rescue said at the time.
The blast occurred when Stacy lit a cigarette while using butane gas to extract THC, marijuana's active ingredient, according to prosecutors.
I think it is fair to say that judges in Portland take a dim view of blowing things up and will only get nastier.
http://www.oregonlive.com/marijuana/index.ssf/2014/05/butane_hash_oil_regulation.html
Noelle Crombie | The Oregonian/OregonLive
on May 12, 2014 at 9:01 AM, updated May 12, 2014 at 11:50 AM
"Colorado and Washington, where voters have also approved recreational marijuana, have begun to grapple with the booming market for marijuana oils, concentrates and extracts -- all potent derivatives of the marijuana plant.
In Colorado, for instance, butane hash oil sold by state-licensed retailers must be produced in a commercial-grade “closed-loop system,” which keeps flammable solvents from escaping into the room. The systems, in use by a few commercial BHO producers in Oregon, are considered safer because they prevent the solvent from filling an enclosed space, where it can more easily ignite.
Colorado requires a certified industrial hygienist or engineer inspect the system, which must operate in a commercial setting. People making BHO must undergo criminal background checks and safety training.
Washington also will require commercial closed-loop systems for making BHO when its recreational market launches this year. Like Oregon, however, Washington’s medical marijuana program doesn’t regulate BHO production.
Both states require BHO be tested for residual butane before landing on dispensary shelves, though Colorado’s testing requirements are more stringent than those in Washington.
California allows medical marijuana patients to possess but not produce BHO.
In Colorado, state regulation of hash oil has done little to dent the steady rise of BHO-related explosions.
Kevin Wong, a Rocky Mountain High Intensity Trafficking Area analyst in Colorado, said people continue to make the product at home because it’s cheaper than buying it.
Said Wong: “That is part of the mindset: ‘If I can do it at home, why spend money on this?’”
Still, commercial BHO producers and avid consumers, Jess Ordower and Jason Wasserman, want Oregon to address the public safety hazards associated with homemade BHO. They use a closed-loop system to make hash oil in a large warehouse off Southeast Foster Road, where the pair blows off steam on a skateboard ramp they installed in the main room. In the back, a stainless steel machine can convert up to 100 pounds of marijuana flowers and leaves into BHO every eight hours. The process they designed involves using a vacuum oven to purge the solvent from the hash oil.
Wasserman said Oregon dispensaries should be allowed to sell BHO made only in closed-loop systems like the one he operates.
“There is such a huge demand for it,” said Wasserman, 39, who like Ordower has made BHO at home. “There is no ending this now. We need to regulate it and make it safe for everyone who is consuming it.”
Rob Bovett, former district attorney for Lincoln County and the legal counsel for the Association of Oregon Counties, said a legislative task force is expected to convene this fall to tackle marijuana-related policy issues.
Regulating how BHO is made is on Bovett’s “punch list” of priorities, which includes making sure the product is made in commercial settings and “not makeshift neighborhood labs.”
“If we are going to allow providers of these products to be completely unregulated,” said Bovett, “then some of these people will be inevitably doing it in their garage and yard and then we are going to have fires and blow ups continue.”"
Pics:
http://www.oregonlive.com/marijuana/index.ssf/2014/05/butane_hash_oil_the_danger.html
http://www.oregonlive.com/marijuana/index.ssf/2014/05/butane_hash_oil_explosion_shat.html
Noelle Crombie | The Oregonian/OregonLive
on May 12, 2014 at 9:01 AM, updated May 12, 2014 at 11:50 AM
"Colorado and Washington, where voters have also approved recreational marijuana, have begun to grapple with the booming market for marijuana oils, concentrates and extracts -- all potent derivatives of the marijuana plant.
In Colorado, for instance, butane hash oil sold by state-licensed retailers must be produced in a commercial-grade “closed-loop system,” which keeps flammable solvents from escaping into the room. The systems, in use by a few commercial BHO producers in Oregon, are considered safer because they prevent the solvent from filling an enclosed space, where it can more easily ignite.
Colorado requires a certified industrial hygienist or engineer inspect the system, which must operate in a commercial setting. People making BHO must undergo criminal background checks and safety training.
Washington also will require commercial closed-loop systems for making BHO when its recreational market launches this year. Like Oregon, however, Washington’s medical marijuana program doesn’t regulate BHO production.
Both states require BHO be tested for residual butane before landing on dispensary shelves, though Colorado’s testing requirements are more stringent than those in Washington.
California allows medical marijuana patients to possess but not produce BHO.
In Colorado, state regulation of hash oil has done little to dent the steady rise of BHO-related explosions.
Kevin Wong, a Rocky Mountain High Intensity Trafficking Area analyst in Colorado, said people continue to make the product at home because it’s cheaper than buying it.
Said Wong: “That is part of the mindset: ‘If I can do it at home, why spend money on this?’”
Still, commercial BHO producers and avid consumers, Jess Ordower and Jason Wasserman, want Oregon to address the public safety hazards associated with homemade BHO. They use a closed-loop system to make hash oil in a large warehouse off Southeast Foster Road, where the pair blows off steam on a skateboard ramp they installed in the main room. In the back, a stainless steel machine can convert up to 100 pounds of marijuana flowers and leaves into BHO every eight hours. The process they designed involves using a vacuum oven to purge the solvent from the hash oil.
Wasserman said Oregon dispensaries should be allowed to sell BHO made only in closed-loop systems like the one he operates.
“There is such a huge demand for it,” said Wasserman, 39, who like Ordower has made BHO at home. “There is no ending this now. We need to regulate it and make it safe for everyone who is consuming it.”
Rob Bovett, former district attorney for Lincoln County and the legal counsel for the Association of Oregon Counties, said a legislative task force is expected to convene this fall to tackle marijuana-related policy issues.
Regulating how BHO is made is on Bovett’s “punch list” of priorities, which includes making sure the product is made in commercial settings and “not makeshift neighborhood labs.”
“If we are going to allow providers of these products to be completely unregulated,” said Bovett, “then some of these people will be inevitably doing it in their garage and yard and then we are going to have fires and blow ups continue.”"
Pics:
http://www.oregonlive.com/marijuana/index.ssf/2014/05/butane_hash_oil_the_danger.html
http://www.oregonlive.com/marijuana/index.ssf/2014/05/butane_hash_oil_explosion_shat.html
Attachments
http://billingsgazette.com/news/opi...cle_c17f01af-22dd-5944-a24c-2bcf2646cd8c.html
Gazette opinion: Explosive fad burns cannabis users
Print Email
Explosion wall
Buy Now
LARRY MAYER/Gazette Staff
The back wall of a house behind on South 29th Street was blown apart after an explosion on April 22. Police investigators concluded that the blast occurred during an attempt to cook a marijuana product with butane.
1 hour ago
(0) Comments
Talking to your kids about drugs has never been more important.
Parents really do have an influence on their children’s use and abuse of drugs. Research has demonstrated that youth whose parents impart their values of drug-free living are less likely to abuse drugs.
Now that talk needs to include a dangerous fad called dabbing — inhaling vapors of concentrated THC after “blasting” leafy marijuana in a process involving butane and a blowtorch.
According to Billings police, that risky home cooking was the reason that a house exploded in Billings on April 22. The blast sent three young men — ages 18 to 21 — on life flights to burn units in Denver and Salt Lake City. All three survived critical, painful burns with more medical procedures and expenses to come.
Parents and health care professionals need to be prepared to discuss dabbing, according to the authors of an article in today’s issue of Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
“The process of creating these products is extremely dangerous because butane is flammable and volatile, and a number of fires, explosions and severe burns have been attributed to home blasting,” wrote John M. Stonger and Bryan Lee Miller.
“Although blasting may be an appealing project for a young cannabis user, the safety risks have been described as comparable to those of manufacturing methamphetamine.”
It’s not hard to find directions online for refining marijuana into butane hash oil or dabs. The Internet is where amateurs get their ideas.
As previously reported in The Billings Gazette, Washington state licenses hash oil production facilities that must use a closed-loop system to lower the risk of explosion and fire.
But amateurs cook at home in poorly ventilated space that quickly fills with gas.
A blowtorch is often used to heat a metal tube to over 750 degrees Fahrenheit.
“In addition to the risks inherent in using these types of heating devices while cognitively impaired, there are long-term health risks associated with inhaling off-gassing solder, rust from oxidized metal parts and benzene, some of which are increasingly released at higher temperatures.”
The drug extract – called dabs, ear wax or honeycomb — can also be consumed with a modified electronic cigarette, the Pediatrics authors said.
They found that research hasn’t yet determined whether butane hash oil dabs have a higher risk of drug addiction than smoking marijuana. However, it’s clear that making that concentrated drug carries a very high risk of severe, painful, even fatal injury.
The article, written for children’s doctors concludes: “Conversations that lead patients to the conclusion that dabbing may not be as safe as flower cannabis should be a goal and should result in fewer young people engaging in this practice.”
Parents should also mention that three people were burned when a hash oil lab exploded in a student housing complex in Missoula last October. One of the injured was a baby whose hair caught fire. In Colorado last year, 30 people were injured in 32 reported butane hash oil explosions.
Gazette opinion: Explosive fad burns cannabis users
Print Email
Explosion wall
Buy Now
LARRY MAYER/Gazette Staff
The back wall of a house behind on South 29th Street was blown apart after an explosion on April 22. Police investigators concluded that the blast occurred during an attempt to cook a marijuana product with butane.
1 hour ago
(0) Comments
Talking to your kids about drugs has never been more important.
Parents really do have an influence on their children’s use and abuse of drugs. Research has demonstrated that youth whose parents impart their values of drug-free living are less likely to abuse drugs.
Now that talk needs to include a dangerous fad called dabbing — inhaling vapors of concentrated THC after “blasting” leafy marijuana in a process involving butane and a blowtorch.
According to Billings police, that risky home cooking was the reason that a house exploded in Billings on April 22. The blast sent three young men — ages 18 to 21 — on life flights to burn units in Denver and Salt Lake City. All three survived critical, painful burns with more medical procedures and expenses to come.
Parents and health care professionals need to be prepared to discuss dabbing, according to the authors of an article in today’s issue of Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
“The process of creating these products is extremely dangerous because butane is flammable and volatile, and a number of fires, explosions and severe burns have been attributed to home blasting,” wrote John M. Stonger and Bryan Lee Miller.
“Although blasting may be an appealing project for a young cannabis user, the safety risks have been described as comparable to those of manufacturing methamphetamine.”
It’s not hard to find directions online for refining marijuana into butane hash oil or dabs. The Internet is where amateurs get their ideas.
As previously reported in The Billings Gazette, Washington state licenses hash oil production facilities that must use a closed-loop system to lower the risk of explosion and fire.
But amateurs cook at home in poorly ventilated space that quickly fills with gas.
A blowtorch is often used to heat a metal tube to over 750 degrees Fahrenheit.
“In addition to the risks inherent in using these types of heating devices while cognitively impaired, there are long-term health risks associated with inhaling off-gassing solder, rust from oxidized metal parts and benzene, some of which are increasingly released at higher temperatures.”
The drug extract – called dabs, ear wax or honeycomb — can also be consumed with a modified electronic cigarette, the Pediatrics authors said.
They found that research hasn’t yet determined whether butane hash oil dabs have a higher risk of drug addiction than smoking marijuana. However, it’s clear that making that concentrated drug carries a very high risk of severe, painful, even fatal injury.
The article, written for children’s doctors concludes: “Conversations that lead patients to the conclusion that dabbing may not be as safe as flower cannabis should be a goal and should result in fewer young people engaging in this practice.”
Parents should also mention that three people were burned when a hash oil lab exploded in a student housing complex in Missoula last October. One of the injured was a baby whose hair caught fire. In Colorado last year, 30 people were injured in 32 reported butane hash oil explosions.
http://www.ktvq.com/story/28883991/bpd-confirms-hash-oil-contributed-to-house-explosion
Police confirm hash oil contributed to Billings house explosion
By Simone DeAlba -
Officials said the making of hash oil was to blame for an explosion at a Billings house. (MTN News file photo)
Officials said the making of hash oil was to blame for an explosion at a Billings house. (MTN News file photo)
BILLINGS - The Billings Police Department confirmed Thursday that an explosion at a South Side residence was due to the manufacturing of hash oil.
Three people were critically injured in the explosion Wednesday. They were flown to hospitals in Denver and Salt Lake City for treatment and their conditions were not immediately available. .
Billings police Capt. John Bedford said all three, two 18-year-old men and a 21-year-old man, are in critical condition with burn injuries. The names of the men, two aged 18 and a 21-year-old, have not been released.
No other injuries were reported. The explosion was reported at about 8:30 a.m. inside one of four apartments at 114 1/2 S. 29th St.
Fire officials said the explosion caused an estimated $10,000 in damages.
Fire crews reported seeing drug paraphernalia in the residence, Bedford said. Once it was deemed safe and officers received a search warrant, police entered the residence and secured the scene for further investigation, Bedford said.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration's website: "Hash oil is produced by extracting the cannabinoids from plant material with a solvent. In terms of its psychoactive effect, a drop or two of this liquid on a cigarette is equal to a single 'joint' of marijuana."
In the process, a butane torch is used to heat the substance, which concentrates the drug and can result in an explosion.
The Billings police and fire departments and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating the incident.
99% or more of all butane explosions are caused by people who are extracting in their dwelling. The word has to get out about the stupidity of extracting where butane can pool and explode. There are to many points of ignition in a house or any kind of dwelling, lights switches, refrigerators, pilot lights. This isn't just a fire, its a detonation of gas and creates a burning sphere of 3400+degree of instantaneous heat, enough to melt steel or all your body fat, your eyes, fingers, hands, arms, it will blow the roof off of your house and blow the walls from your foundations, don't do it. Look at the burn pictures, nothing is worth the agony of 3rd degree burns and a long incarceration after you get out of the burn ward.
Police confirm hash oil contributed to Billings house explosion
By Simone DeAlba -
Officials said the making of hash oil was to blame for an explosion at a Billings house. (MTN News file photo)
Officials said the making of hash oil was to blame for an explosion at a Billings house. (MTN News file photo)
BILLINGS - The Billings Police Department confirmed Thursday that an explosion at a South Side residence was due to the manufacturing of hash oil.
Three people were critically injured in the explosion Wednesday. They were flown to hospitals in Denver and Salt Lake City for treatment and their conditions were not immediately available. .
Billings police Capt. John Bedford said all three, two 18-year-old men and a 21-year-old man, are in critical condition with burn injuries. The names of the men, two aged 18 and a 21-year-old, have not been released.
No other injuries were reported. The explosion was reported at about 8:30 a.m. inside one of four apartments at 114 1/2 S. 29th St.
Fire officials said the explosion caused an estimated $10,000 in damages.
Fire crews reported seeing drug paraphernalia in the residence, Bedford said. Once it was deemed safe and officers received a search warrant, police entered the residence and secured the scene for further investigation, Bedford said.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration's website: "Hash oil is produced by extracting the cannabinoids from plant material with a solvent. In terms of its psychoactive effect, a drop or two of this liquid on a cigarette is equal to a single 'joint' of marijuana."
In the process, a butane torch is used to heat the substance, which concentrates the drug and can result in an explosion.
The Billings police and fire departments and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating the incident.
99% or more of all butane explosions are caused by people who are extracting in their dwelling. The word has to get out about the stupidity of extracting where butane can pool and explode. There are to many points of ignition in a house or any kind of dwelling, lights switches, refrigerators, pilot lights. This isn't just a fire, its a detonation of gas and creates a burning sphere of 3400+degree of instantaneous heat, enough to melt steel or all your body fat, your eyes, fingers, hands, arms, it will blow the roof off of your house and blow the walls from your foundations, don't do it. Look at the burn pictures, nothing is worth the agony of 3rd degree burns and a long incarceration after you get out of the burn ward.
http://missoulian.com/news/local/mi...cle_c2873251-910c-5051-812c-dd0849731145.html
This explosion happened about a year ago, this is what it cost the person when he attempted an extraction and he blew up his apartment and caused injury to his girl friend and 19 month old child. Her comments say it best, "Ervin said she heard a loud “whoosh sound” and looked up to see the kitchen on fire. Her hair and her daughter’s hair also caught fire in the blast". The accused was given a 15 year sentence with 10 years suspended and she was put on probation for child neglect and endangerment. For less than $2000 he could have put together a closed system where the chances of an explosion and fire would have been very slight, instead he get a 5 year jolt at the CrossBar Hotel, 3rd degree burns and a felony record and she is lucky that she retained custody of her child.
Missoula man sentenced for hash oil explosion at UM apartment
A Missoula woman received a three-year deferred sentence Wednesday for tampering with evidence after a hash oil explosion at a University of M… Read more
Girlfriend of Missoula hash oil explosion suspect charged
The girlfriend of a Missoula man who is accused of causing an explosion while trying to make hash oil in a University of Montana apartment ear… Read more
Man accused in UM hash oil explosion denies charges
The man accused of causing an explosion at a University of Montana apartment in October pleaded not guilty to multiple criminal charges Monday… Read more
UM explosion suspect's Facebook page reveals marijuana business
MISSOULA -- Missoula police on Monday released the name of the man involved in an explosion at a two-story University of Montana student housi… Read more
Man accused in UM apartment explosion ID'd
MISSOULA -- Missoula police have released the name of the man who was involved in an explosion in a second-story University of Montana student… Read more
A Missoula man who set his second-story University of Montana apartment ablaze while manufacturing hash oil last fall was sentenced Tuesday to five years in prison and ordered to pay more than $21,000 in restitution.
Patrick Wayne Austin, 24, injured his girlfriend, Virginia Marie Ervin, and her 19-month-old daughter in the Oct. 12 explosion. The woman and her child were treated for second- and third-degree burns.
The blast blew out three windows in the apartment Austin shared with Ervin, as well as the kitchen and living room windows in a neighboring apartment. Police reported that screens and shards of glass were found on the lawn and up to the edge of the street.
Austin pleaded guilty to six felonies in a plea agreement between his attorney, Brian Yowell, and prosecutors in April. A seventh charge of criminal endangerment was dismissed.
Missoula County District Judge Karen Townsend on Tuesday morning handed down a 15-year sentence, with 10 years suspended, to the Montana State Prison for manufacturing dangerous drugs.
Additionally, she sentenced Austin to five years on each of the other five felonies. The sentences will run concurrently.
In March, Ervin was sentenced on charges of criminal child endangerment and tampering with evidence for her role in the incident. She received deferred sentences of six months and three years, respectively, to the Department of Corrections.
She and her child attended Austin's hearing Tuesday and watched as attorneys negotiated the details of his sentencing, including whether the court would restrict Austin from contacting Ervin.
Contact could be maintained if both individuals' probation officers approve it, Townsend ruled.
"One additional thing that's obvious is that Mr. Austin needs to deal with these issues, and he wants to deal with them," Yowell said.
Austin declined to comment during his sentencing.
***
The blast was caused by a dangerous and illegal process that uses butane, a hotplate and a baking dish to extract the oil from marijuana.
Upon entering the apartment, firefighters found and switched off a hotplate with a Pyrex baking dish on it, the affidavit stated. Police also found two boxes of butane canisters sitting inside the apartment, 1.67 pounds of marijuana, 8.3 grams of hash oil, a half-pound of psilocybin mushrooms, $2,200 in cash, a rifle and a respirator.
Austin and Ervin were interviewed at the hospital, and Austin denied his involvement in the production of hash oil, claiming he had stopped making the substance after previously setting fire to a shed.
“Austin claimed that a gas leak must have caused the explosion,” the affidavit stated. “He said that the cases of butane in the apartment were because he buys in bulk to refill his lighter.”
Ervin, however, told police her boyfriend had been using butane to extract hash oil at the time of the explosion, explaining that she usually leaves the apartment when he does so. This time, however, she was tired and took her daughter into another room to watch television.
About 30 minutes after Austin started the process, Ervin said she heard a loud “whoosh sound” and looked up to see the kitchen on fire. Her hair and her daughter’s hair also caught fire in the blast.
Austin denied manufacturing drugs at the home when police interviewed him after the explosion; however, his Facebook posts suggested otherwise. His profile references his marijuana business in public posts, including one from several hours before the Oct. 12 blast.
“When business is delayed multiple times maybe its a sign i need to be patient cant force things.. Going to be productive as possible,” he wrote at 11:42 a.m.
In several other posts, he appears to reference hash oil and the supplies needed to make the product, such as the following post dated Oct. 1:
“The struggle is real.. Why does it seem so hard to find quality packs not so taxed. You spend 2800 on a pack and use 32 cans of butane and sell your oil for cheaper than 35 a g. o_0,” he wrote.
This explosion happened about a year ago, this is what it cost the person when he attempted an extraction and he blew up his apartment and caused injury to his girl friend and 19 month old child. Her comments say it best, "Ervin said she heard a loud “whoosh sound” and looked up to see the kitchen on fire. Her hair and her daughter’s hair also caught fire in the blast". The accused was given a 15 year sentence with 10 years suspended and she was put on probation for child neglect and endangerment. For less than $2000 he could have put together a closed system where the chances of an explosion and fire would have been very slight, instead he get a 5 year jolt at the CrossBar Hotel, 3rd degree burns and a felony record and she is lucky that she retained custody of her child.
Missoula man sentenced for hash oil explosion at UM apartment
A Missoula woman received a three-year deferred sentence Wednesday for tampering with evidence after a hash oil explosion at a University of M… Read more
Girlfriend of Missoula hash oil explosion suspect charged
The girlfriend of a Missoula man who is accused of causing an explosion while trying to make hash oil in a University of Montana apartment ear… Read more
Man accused in UM hash oil explosion denies charges
The man accused of causing an explosion at a University of Montana apartment in October pleaded not guilty to multiple criminal charges Monday… Read more
UM explosion suspect's Facebook page reveals marijuana business
MISSOULA -- Missoula police on Monday released the name of the man involved in an explosion at a two-story University of Montana student housi… Read more
Man accused in UM apartment explosion ID'd
MISSOULA -- Missoula police have released the name of the man who was involved in an explosion in a second-story University of Montana student… Read more
A Missoula man who set his second-story University of Montana apartment ablaze while manufacturing hash oil last fall was sentenced Tuesday to five years in prison and ordered to pay more than $21,000 in restitution.
Patrick Wayne Austin, 24, injured his girlfriend, Virginia Marie Ervin, and her 19-month-old daughter in the Oct. 12 explosion. The woman and her child were treated for second- and third-degree burns.
The blast blew out three windows in the apartment Austin shared with Ervin, as well as the kitchen and living room windows in a neighboring apartment. Police reported that screens and shards of glass were found on the lawn and up to the edge of the street.
Austin pleaded guilty to six felonies in a plea agreement between his attorney, Brian Yowell, and prosecutors in April. A seventh charge of criminal endangerment was dismissed.
Missoula County District Judge Karen Townsend on Tuesday morning handed down a 15-year sentence, with 10 years suspended, to the Montana State Prison for manufacturing dangerous drugs.
Additionally, she sentenced Austin to five years on each of the other five felonies. The sentences will run concurrently.
In March, Ervin was sentenced on charges of criminal child endangerment and tampering with evidence for her role in the incident. She received deferred sentences of six months and three years, respectively, to the Department of Corrections.
She and her child attended Austin's hearing Tuesday and watched as attorneys negotiated the details of his sentencing, including whether the court would restrict Austin from contacting Ervin.
Contact could be maintained if both individuals' probation officers approve it, Townsend ruled.
"One additional thing that's obvious is that Mr. Austin needs to deal with these issues, and he wants to deal with them," Yowell said.
Austin declined to comment during his sentencing.
***
The blast was caused by a dangerous and illegal process that uses butane, a hotplate and a baking dish to extract the oil from marijuana.
Upon entering the apartment, firefighters found and switched off a hotplate with a Pyrex baking dish on it, the affidavit stated. Police also found two boxes of butane canisters sitting inside the apartment, 1.67 pounds of marijuana, 8.3 grams of hash oil, a half-pound of psilocybin mushrooms, $2,200 in cash, a rifle and a respirator.
Austin and Ervin were interviewed at the hospital, and Austin denied his involvement in the production of hash oil, claiming he had stopped making the substance after previously setting fire to a shed.
“Austin claimed that a gas leak must have caused the explosion,” the affidavit stated. “He said that the cases of butane in the apartment were because he buys in bulk to refill his lighter.”
Ervin, however, told police her boyfriend had been using butane to extract hash oil at the time of the explosion, explaining that she usually leaves the apartment when he does so. This time, however, she was tired and took her daughter into another room to watch television.
About 30 minutes after Austin started the process, Ervin said she heard a loud “whoosh sound” and looked up to see the kitchen on fire. Her hair and her daughter’s hair also caught fire in the blast.
Austin denied manufacturing drugs at the home when police interviewed him after the explosion; however, his Facebook posts suggested otherwise. His profile references his marijuana business in public posts, including one from several hours before the Oct. 12 blast.
“When business is delayed multiple times maybe its a sign i need to be patient cant force things.. Going to be productive as possible,” he wrote at 11:42 a.m.
In several other posts, he appears to reference hash oil and the supplies needed to make the product, such as the following post dated Oct. 1:
“The struggle is real.. Why does it seem so hard to find quality packs not so taxed. You spend 2800 on a pack and use 32 cans of butane and sell your oil for cheaper than 35 a g. o_0,” he wrote.
Last edited:
