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Two men burned in Nederland hash-oil operation remain hospitalized
By John Bear

Staff Writer
Posted: 08/17/2016 03:54:35 PM MDT | Updated: about 3 hours ago


Two men inside a Nederland home when it exploded in July after a mishap involving an illegal hash-oil extraction operation remained hospitalized more than three weeks later, Nederland Police Chief Paul Carrill said Wednesday.

The case remains under investigation, and Carrill said he could not comment further.

Nederland police and the Nederland Fire Protection District responded to a fire at 99 Pinecliff Trail on July 25 that destroyed the house and seriously burned two people inside.

Investigators quickly found two illegal hash-oil operations inside the home — one of them in the garage — and a marijuana grow in the basement.

Steve Pischke, who works with the Multi-Agency Fire Investigations Team, said on Wednesday that the case remains under investigation but fire investigators found numerous sources of ignition in the garage, where the explosion occurred.

Pischke said that the hash-oil operation provided "plenty of fuel" for the explosion to occur. He added that investigators have not been able to speak with the two men inside the home.

Hash oil is made by running butane or another solvent through a tube filled with dried marijuana clippings, leaving behind an oily liquid that can be solidified by heating the mixture to evaporate the butane.

Because it involves using volatile substances such as butane, explosions can result if a room is not properly ventilated. Investigators said that the garage being used at the Nederland home lacked proper ventilation, and the explosion and resulting fire burned through the home in three to four minutes.

Making hash oil in a residential home is illegal in Colorado.

John Bear: 303-473-1355, [email protected] or twitter.com/johnbearwithme
 

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http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/aug/19/1-critically-injured-in-spokane-hash-oil-explosion/


1 critically injured in Spokane hash oil explosion



By - Associated Press - Friday, August 19, 2016

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - Authorities say a man was critically burned in a hash oil explosion in a Spokane home.

The Spokane Fire Department said firefighters responded to a house fire Thursday afternoon and found a resident had suffered burns due to an explosion caused by an unauthorized marijuana butane honey oil extraction process.

Officials say fumes had built up in an improperly ventilated basement room, reached an ignition source and caused an explosion and flash fire.

Firefighters treated the man and ensured the fire didn’t spread.

The man was transported to a local hospital and then flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle where he remains in critical condition.

Two other adults and three children
in the residence at the time of the explosion were not injured.
 

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http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/cause-sti...ispensary-sends-one-man-to-hospital-1.3036862

Fire Marshall and police are still investigating after an explosion at a Forest Hill marijuana dispensary sent a man to hospital with serious burns on Friday night.

The incident occurred at Tweeder Medicinal, near Eglinton Avenue and Avenue Road, just after 7:30 p.m., police said. Video footage of the scene from a security camera obtained by CTV Toronto shows people walking along Eglinton casually before the explosion.

"There was a man out here who had clearly been in this explosion and he was missing most of the fingers on one of his hands," area resident Geoffrey McVey told CTV Toronto. “He seemed very calm about the whole thing.”
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Six people arrested after police raid pot dispensary in Forest Hill

Witnesses told officers the explosion blew out the windows of the dispensary while one person remained inside.

"Glass was projected out onto the street and the sidwalk along with the couch that you see out on the sidewalk now," Jeff Tebby from the office of the fire marshal said on Saturday.

About 37 seconds into the surveillance video, a man can be seen exiting the building where the explosion occurred.

The blast took place in the building’s basement, fire officials confirmed.

Officers arriving on scene located one man who suffered from burns and other non-life-threatening injuries. He was taken to hospital. Police later said another man suffered from injuries and had wrapped a towel around his hands. But he left the building through the back, they said.

“It feels like a weed shop should be the safest place in the world," said area resident Jana Stern. "Instead we have a giant explosion and it just makes my heart break."

The Ontario Fire Marshall and Toronto police are working together during the investigation and were still on scene Saturday.

Police said the man who lost his fingers in the blast was someone who was formerly arrested as part of a widespread crackdown on dispensaries in May. He has been identified as David Coleman, 29, who was charged with possession of a Schedule II substance for the purpose of trafficking and possession of proceeds of a crime.

Frances Taylor from infrastructure development company Aecon was called to the scene to look for buried utilities.

"I know right off the bat that it's probably not a gas explosion basically because the gas meter is intact," Taylor told CTV Toronto. “...probably had something to do either with the extraction process to make oil or something to do with one of those electronic vapours."

The extraction process to obtain hash oil can involve Butane gas. But Tebby made it clear that officials are “still in the very preliminary stages of it, trying to identify the fuel involved in the explosion."

In a news release late Friday night, the Toronto Dispensaries Coalition said they condemn Tweeder Medicinal for “putting their patients and neighbours at risk by engaging in dangerous activity.”

They added that any dispensary activity other than the “safe distribution of product to patients” is not in line with their standards.
 

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http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20160822/NEWS/160829927



NEWS NOW

Medford woman gets probation for hash oil explosion that damaged home



By Ryan Pfeil
Mail Tribune

Posted Aug. 22, 2016 at 10:25 AM

A woman accused of causing an explosion while making hash oil that damaged a home and injured herself and another more than a year ago received 18 months' probation and must pay back $10,258 in restitution.

Kasandra Ann Covarrubias, 20, of Medford, pleaded guilty to one count of reckless burning, a misdemeanor, in Judge Patricia Crain's courtroom in Jackson County Circuit Court Monday. A felony count of unlawful manufacture of marijuana and additional misdemeanor charges of reckless endangerment and fourth-degree assault were dropped.

Court records show Covarrubias does not have any additional criminal history in Oregon.

"You got quite the deal, so you'd better take advantage of it," Crain said.

The sentence stems from a March 2015 incident that occurred at a duplex in the 2000 block of Ridge Way in Medford. Prosecutors said Covarrubias and 20-year-old Monty Vernon Stevens, whom Covarrubias referred to in court as her fiance, were making hash oil inside their home, which they were renting, when the butane exploded. The structure sustained more than $10,000 in damage, and Covarrubias and Stevens sustained burns. Both were transported to the hospital, according to Jackson County Deputy District Attorney Nick Geil.

Stevens, who also does not have any additional criminal history in the state, is scheduled for a plea change hearing on Sept. 2, court records show.
 

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http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20160826/NEWS/160829737



PUBLIC SAFETY
Police say honey-oil production sparked explosive fire

By Hannah Golden Mail Tribune


A fire on Lawnridge Street Thursday morning that leveled a house and garage and sent one man to the hospital was caused by someone making butane honey oil, Medford police said in a Facebook post today.

Neighbors told police they heard explosions after the fire started around 9:40 a.m. The blaze destroyed a house and garage at 1492 Lawnridge St., and damaged two other houses. One man was driven to the hospital with burns to his hands and feet. He was later transferred to a Portland hospital because of his extensive injuries, police said.

"We found a couple-hundred butane containers in the garage," said Greg Kleinberg of Medford Fire-Rescue. "There was a pretty big fuel load in there."

Kleinberg said the team found full 45-caliber bullets in the garage but could not confirm whether any ammunition went off due to the heat.

Medford police Lt. Kevin Walruff said the investigation also yielded marijuana plants in one of the rooms of the residence.

Investigators who returned to the house with a search warrant Thursday night found evidence of honey-oil production, the post said, though the investigation was continuing. Honey oil is the oil extracted from marijuana by passing butane over the plant. The butane evaporates, leaving behind the oil rich in THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.

Thursday's honey-oil fire was the fourth the department has seen this year, and Kleinburg said four people have been injured since 2015.

"The injuries from the Lawnridge Street fire are some of the more severe injuries that we've seen," a post on the Medford police Facebook page said.

The process of extracting THC from marijuana requires the use of large amounts of butane, which is commonly used in cigarette lighters and welding torches because of its flammability.

"Because the process involves using so much butane, the fumes often linger around until they find an ignition source. Once it does, there is a large flash explosion, with no time to escape," the Facebook post said.

Walruff said unlicensed production of honey oil is a felony under Oregon law. HB 4104, passed earlier this year, made the unlicensed production of cannabinoid extracts illegal.

The house at 1492 Lawnridge St. is owned by Jackson County Circuit Judge Ron Grensky, property records show. A call to his office was not immediately returned. Grensky owns multiple Medford properties, but lives in Jacksonville.
 

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http://patch.com/california/murriet...-alleged-drug-maker-accused-causing-explosion


Police & Fire
Charges Filed Against Alleged Drug Maker Accused of Causing Explosion
A Murrieta man who allegedly operated an illegal drug lab that triggered an explosion inside his home was charged Tuesday .


By Patch CA (Patch Staff) - August 30, 2016 5:09 pm ET
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Charges Filed Against Alleged Drug Maker Accused of Causing Explosion

MURRIETA, CA -- A Murrieta man who allegedly operated an illegal drug lab that triggered an explosion inside his home was charged Tuesday with manufacturing controlled substances and other felonies.

Jason Michael Delvecchio, 34, was arrested Friday morning after the explosion and fire at his single-story dwelling in the 39000 block of Banyon Street.

Along with the manufacturing allegation, Delvecchio is charged with causing a fire that burned an inhabited structure and possession of drugs for sale.

He's being held in lieu of $500,000 bail at the Southwest Detention Center and was slated to make his initial court appearance this afternoon at the Southwest Justice Center.

Murrieta police allege Delvecchio was making "honey oil," a liquid marijuana derivative also known as "wax," in his house and had stored some of the product in his refrigerator overnight.

Butane gas is used to extract honey oil from cannabis, and the highly flammable fuel "remains with the honey oil even after the process is completed," said Murrieta police Lt. Ron Driscoll.
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"Butane is heavier than air and will settle at the lowest point," Driscoll said. "In this case, the gas emitted from the honey oil and settled at the bottom of the refrigerator, near the compressor. Once the compressor activated, the butane gas reacted to this ignition source, which resulted in a violent explosion."

Several windows in the defendant's kitchen were blown out, and the refrigerator was destroyed.

Fire department personnel arrived just before 7 a.m. and extinguished the fire, after which a hazardous materials team cleaned up the space. Investigators then inspected the property, locating 226 grams of wax valued at roughly $9,000, according to police.

Another 7,389 grams of raw product was also seized, Driscoll said, estimating the "conservative" street value at $184,725.

Delvecchio has no documented prior felony convictions in California.
 

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http://mynewsla.com/crime/2016/09/01/hot-pot-blast-tosses-honey-oil-expert-in-clink/


Hot pot blast tosses Honey Oil expert in clink


A 32-year-old man was behind bars Thursday on suspicion of extracting a chemical from marijuana leaves in a process that led to an explosion in Anaheim in January.

Frederic John Mercado Tabora of Huntington Beach was arrested Wednesday night as he left a Motel 6 in Westminster, according to Anaheim police Sgt. Daron Wyatt.

His arrest stems from a so-called Butane Honey Oil lab explosion Jan. 20 that set fire to a garage in the 2000 block of West Blue Violet Court, Wyatt said.

While serving a search warrant on the suspect’s residence investigators discovered another Butane Honey Oil lab, Wyatt alleged.

Tabora was being held on $75,000 bail, Wyatt said.

Tabor is accused of using a condo attached to the garage for an indoor marijuana grow house, Wyatt said. The residence was also a “sophisticated” extraction site for Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, which is more commonly known as Butane Honey Oil extraction, Wyatt said.

The damage from the fire was estimated to be more than $450,000, Wyatt said.

Tabora was booked on suspicion of a felony count of unlawfully causing a fire, two felony counts of unlawful chemical extraction and he faces a felony enhancement of doing so within 300 feet of an occupied residence.
 

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http://www.statesmanjournal.com/sto...m-home-caused-hash-oil-leads-arrest/89774952/

Explosion at Salem home caused by hash oil leads to arrest
Whitney M. Woodworth, Statesman Journal 6:13 p.m. PDT September 2, 2016
mugs

(Photo: Marion County Sheriff's office)
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An explosion allegedly caused by butane hash oil manufacturing on Tuesday led to a Salem man and woman's arrest and the discovery of more than 80 pounds of marijuana at a home near Roberts High School, officials said.

Joe Arnold Gonzalez, Jr., 30, was arrested Thursday on charges of unlawful manufacturing a cannabinoid extract within 1,000 feet of a school, two counts of first-degree child neglect, two counts of reckless endangerment and reckless burning.

Alyssa Gonzalez, 23, was arrested on charges of manufacturing a cannabinoid extract within 1,000 feet of a school, marijuana possession, two counts of reckless endangerment and reckless burning.

Lt. Dave Okada, a Salem police spokesman, said the house it still standing, but the explosion was substantial and severely damaged the home.

According to a probable cause statement, Joe's two children, who are under the age of 16, were in the driveway when "the house exploded." He is accused of knowingly placing the children in harm's way.

Alyssa was in the home at the time, and, according to Salem police, the house is listed as her residence.
Alyssa Gonzalez, 23, was arrested following an explosion

Alyssa Gonzalez, 23, was arrested following an explosion at a Salem home allegedly caused by butane hash oil manufacturing. (Photo: Marion County Sheriff's Office)

Arresting document's filed in Marion County stated the following:

Fire department crews responded to a fire and explosion at the home in the 3700 block of Mahrt Ave. SE, on Tuesday. Suspecting that the explosion was caused by the manufacture of butane hash oil, officials contacted an investigator, who followed up on Wednesday.

Joe told the investigator he was cooking on Tuesday and had put a pan in the fridge just prior to the explosion. He also admitted he had a marijuana grow at the residence.

After a search warrant was executed on the home, officials found 80 pounds of dried marijuana, butane, a vacuum oven, Pyrex glassware and other equipment used to manufacture hash oil.

Butane hash oil, also known as BHO, is a concentrated marijuana extract made by using highly flammable butane as a solvent to create a sludgy oil or wax. The hash's high THC concentration — up to 80 percent — gives users a faster, more powerful high.

Hash oil explosions are increasing in states where marijuana is now legal. Thirty people were injured in 32 explosions from butane hash oil manufacturing in Colorado last year. According to a report by The Oregonian, butane-related blasts hospitalized 17 people with burns and serious injuries within a 16 month period.

Tuesday's incident was the first butane-related explosion to occur in Salem, Okada said.

The hash oil is legal to make and sell at licensed facilities. It is available for purchase by recreational and medical marijuana use, but unlawful manufacture of BHO is considered a felony.

Two other people were nearby at the time of the explosion and were put in considerable risk of serious physical injury, according to court records.

A multi-agency DEA task force is investigating the drug lab explosion along with the Marion County District Attorney's Office and U.S. Attorney's Office.

Joe appeared for arraignment on Thursday, and his bail was set at $30,000. His next hearing is scheduled for Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. No court date has been set for Alyssa.
 

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This is just follow up from previous stories.


Suspect in Broker Inn hash oil explosion pleads guilty to felony charges
Boulder Daily Camera
The man accused of causing a hash oil explosion at the Rodeway Inn ... She said she had previously seen him carrying butane, which is used in the ...
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Kids unhurt after Salem hash oil explosion
KOIN.com
SALEM, Ore. (KOIN) – The man accused of causing an explosion while using butane hash oil is expected to enter a plea on court on Wednesday.
Google Plus Facebook Twitter Flag as irrelevant
 

prune

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Ya, not really. You need to recognize that the police are prone to calling any grow-op a "Drug Lab" these days, to make it look scarier and a bigger trophy for their scrapbooks. In this particular case, the in-depth reporting is indicating that it was the propane fueled CO2 generators that caused the problem. (in fact, the FD might have inadvertently promoted the explosion by improperly disconnecting the generators…)
 

gumby420

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i ran open blast for 4 years with single solvent dewaxing so i had shit tons of open butane in dry ice. since ive switched to a cls about 4 months ago it amazing how much safer i feel after i finish a run and my butane detector didnt go off once. but its still humbling to read these stories and remember how dangerous this shit really is. i still need to get my explosion proof fan though, hopefully in the next few days
 

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http://www.kptv.com/story/33432697/...r-explosion-at-industrial-facility-in-astoria

Posted: Oct 19, 2016 8:54 PM PDT
Updated: Oct 19, 2016 10:14 PM PDT
By FOX 12 StaffCONNECT



Courtesy: Micah Dugan
Courtesy: Micah Dugan
ASTORIA, OR (KPTV) -

Two people were injured in an explosion at a building near Portway and Industry Streets in Astoria Wednesday night.

Clatsop County District Attorney Josh Marquis said firefighters responded to the explosion just after 6 p.m.

Marquis said the explosion happened at a commercial building that houses two separate businesses.

The explosion happened in Higher Level Concentrates. Three people were in the business when the explosion happened and were able to escape.

Two people were life-flighted to Legacy Emanuel with burn injuries. The extent of their injuries and conditions are not known at this time.

A marijuana dispensary named Sweet Relief is housed in the same building and was damaged but was not the source of the explosion.

The Clatsop County Fire Investigation Team, Oregon State Fire Marshall’s Office and Oregon State Police Arson Investigators are working to determine what caused the explosion."
 

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http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Man-burned-in-Bellingham-drug-lab-explosion-9982574.php

"Man burned in Bellingham drug lab explosion
Updated 1:48 am, Wednesday, October 19, 2016

BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) — A Bellingham man has been hospitalized for severe burns after an explosion and fire inside a triplex apartment building, where police say he operated an illegal drug lab.
The Bellingham Herald reports (http://bit.ly/2ejpmFj ) that no one else was injured in the Monday night blast that caused an estimated $50,000 in damage.
Police Lt. Bob Vander Yacht says the injured man hasn't been charged with a crime, although several small butane canisters and more than 200 ounces of marijuana were found at the scene.
Vander Yacht says the man, whose name hasn't been released, admitted to officers that he had been running a "hash oil extraction lab."
A hazardous materials team had been sent into the building before firefighters were cleared to go inside and extinguish the flames."



http://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/local/crime/article109042957.html

BY ROBERT MITTENDORF
[email protected]

BELLINGHAM

A Bellingham man was at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle on Tuesday, Oct. 18, suffering from severe burns in the wake of an explosion and fire at a house where police said the injured man was operating an illegal drug lab.

No one else was hurt in the blast about 8:10 p.m. Monday, Oct. 17, that did some $50,000 damage to the 2,000-square-foot triplex at 1150 Ellis St. on the border of the Sehome and York neighborhoods.

Bellingham Police did not release the man’s name. He had not been charged with a crime, even though evidence of a drug lab, including many small butane canisters and more than 200 ounces of marijuana, was found at the scene, said police Lt. Bob Vander Yacht.

“The man responsible for the explosion admitted to our officers that this was a hash oil extraction lab and that he does it to sell product to ‘people he knows,’ ” Vander Yacht said.

“Certainly the cause of the fire is the ignition of the gas vapor within the space that resulted in an explosion,” Vander Yacht said. “The energy from this was significant and shattered a couple of large windows in the structure as well as damaging some walls and ceilings.”

Bellingham Fire officials said the injured man was taken by ambulance to St. Joseph hospital, then flown by helicopter to Harborview. They could not disclose his name or the nature of his injuries, citing medical confidentiality laws. Harborview officials can’t disclose information without the patient’s full name.

Neighbors and other tenants knew him only as Jason, and said he lived in the upstairs unit, which was subdivided into apartments about 50 years ago.

THE MAN RESPONSIBLE FOR THE EXPLOSION ADMITTED TO OUR OFFICERS THAT THIS WAS A HASH OIL EXTRACTION LAB AND THAT HE DOES IT TO SELL PRODUCT TO PEOPLE HE KNOWS.
Bellingham Police Lt. Bob Vander Yacht

Veronica Saibel, who lives in one of the lower two units, said burns and soot covered the man’s head, back, chest and arms.

“We heard this like loud kind of banging noise,” Saibel said. “I looked outside the window at our neighbor’s house and the whole side of their house was sort of lit up bright orange, and I knew that that was fire.”

Saibel said the blast blew out a window. Other tenants said small containers were blown through the ceiling into their apartments.

“I asked him if he was all right and then I realized, of course, that he was covered in burns,” Saibel said. “He said that something exploded.”

Battalion Chief Cary Gustafson of the Bellingham Fire Department consulted Whatcom County’s hazardous materials team before allowing firefighters inside the building to fight the flames that remained and make sure that fire hadn’t spread into the walls or attic.

“We made entry with some gas monitors to monitor the atmosphere to make sure our firefighters weren’t walking into an explosive atmosphere,” Gustafson said. Once the flames were out, firefighters found extensive blast damage in the kitchen, he said.

Kevin Geraghty, who manages the property for the owners, his parents, said all three units had passed inspection two weeks ago under the city’s new rental-inspection program and no evidence of drug activity was noted. City officials couldn’t be reached immediately for comment, and online records weren’t up to date.

Geraghty wouldn’t name his tenant, but said the man had two weeks’ notice of the inspection.

“Hopefully, the young man’s OK,” Geraghty said, adding that all three units had smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms and fire extinguishers."


In the video a firefighter says "the kitchen was smoked," not just a balcony fire.
 
Last edited:

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http://www.dailycamera.com/longmont...olice-suspected-hash-oil-explosion-burns-shed


"Longmont police: Suspected hash oil explosion burns shed
By Amy Bounds
Staff Writer

POSTED: 10/09/2016 06:40:45 PM MDT | UPDATED: 11 DAYS AGO

An Saturday night explosion in a shed in Longmont appears to be the result of a mishap involving an illegal hash-oil extraction operation, according to Longmont police.

Longmont police Sgt. Bruce Pettitt said police received calls from neighbors around 10:15 p.m. Saturday about a large explosion and flames at a residence at 1035 Baker St.

Officers found a shed on the property smoking when they arrived, but the people who lived there had already extinguished the flames, he said. He said one man was taken to a local hospital with burns.

He said police searched the home and determined that the explosion likely happened during a hash oil extraction. The case remains under investigation, and no arrests have yet been made, he said.

Hash oil is made by running butane or another solvent through a tube filled with dried marijuana clippings, leaving behind an oily liquid that can be solidified by heating the mixture to evaporate the butane.

Because it involves using volatile substances such as butane, which is highly flammable, explosions can result if a room is not properly ventilated.

"It's a very dangerous, flammable process," Pettitt said.

Making hash oil in a residential home is illegal in Colorado.

In Longmont in 2013, police said they believed an attempt to extract hash oil caused an explosion in a James Circle garage, with three men still dealing with flames and burning items when police arrived at the scene.

Police arrested all three on suspicion of arson and conspiracy to commit arson."
 

gumby420

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http://www.dailycamera.com/longmont...olice-suspected-hash-oil-explosion-burns-shed


"Longmont police: Suspected hash oil explosion burns shed
By Amy Bounds
Staff Writer

POSTED: 10/09/2016 06:40:45 PM MDT | UPDATED: 11 DAYS AGO

An Saturday night explosion in a shed in Longmont appears to be the result of a mishap involving an illegal hash-oil extraction operation, according to Longmont police.

Longmont police Sgt. Bruce Pettitt said police received calls from neighbors around 10:15 p.m. Saturday about a large explosion and flames at a residence at 1035 Baker St.

Officers found a shed on the property smoking when they arrived, but the people who lived there had already extinguished the flames, he said. He said one man was taken to a local hospital with burns.

He said police searched the home and determined that the explosion likely happened during a hash oil extraction. The case remains under investigation, and no arrests have yet been made, he said.

Hash oil is made by running butane or another solvent through a tube filled with dried marijuana clippings, leaving behind an oily liquid that can be solidified by heating the mixture to evaporate the butane.

Because it involves using volatile substances such as butane, which is highly flammable, explosions can result if a room is not properly ventilated.

"It's a very dangerous, flammable process," Pettitt said.

Making hash oil in a residential home is illegal in Colorado.

In Longmont in 2013, police said they believed an attempt to extract hash oil caused an explosion in a James Circle garage, with three men still dealing with flames and burning items when police arrived at the scene.

Police arrested all three on suspicion of arson and conspiracy to commit arson."



if you had to take a guess on all these explosions, how many do you think were with a closed loop? how often do you hear of explosions with cls?
 

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http://www.oregonlive.com/marijuana...ast_rocks_legal_marijuana_bu.html#incart_2box


"Blast rocks legal marijuana business in Astoria, sends 2 to burn unit

By Noelle Crombie

The Oregonian/OregonLive on October 20, 2016 at 7:00 PM, updated October 21, 2016 at 8:10 AM

Two people working in a marijuana processing business in Astoria were taken to Legacy Oregon Burn Center late Wednesday after an explosion rocked the building.

The blast – the first involving a legal cannabis enterprise in Oregon -- remains under investigation but early indications point to butane as a possible cause, officials said.

The business, Higher Level Concentrates, uses the highly volatile gas to make hash oil. The explosion is under investigation by Oregon OSHA, an agency whose mission is worker safety and health.

Two OSHA compliance officers were dispatched to the scene Thursday, said Aaron Corvin, an agency spokesman, who stressed the inquiry is in its early stages.

Higher Level Concentrates is on the Oregon Health Authority's list of 127 state-authorized marijuana processors who can make oil for the medical marijuana market.

The business also has submitted its application for a processor license to the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, the agency overseeing recreational marijuana; that application is pending, said agency spokesman Mark Pettinger.

Astoria police and firefighters responded to a report of an explosion about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday near Portway and Industry streets in the city's west end. In addition to Higher Level Concentrates, the building houses a dispensary, Sweet Relief, which was damaged in the blast.

Officials said the explosion occurred in the basement where the extraction business is located.

Gary Reynolds, owner of Sweet Relief, said two of his employees were in the shop when they felt the building rumble.

"One of the guys came from down below and told everyone to get out," Reynolds said. "He was burned up pretty good."

He said his employees ran from the building, which was quickly engulfed in smoke.

Three people working in Higher Level Concentrates escaped; two were burned and are being treated at the Portland burn center.

The blast victims were identified as William "Chris" West, 40, and Jacob Alan Magley, 34, both of Astoria. West is one of the owners of the business. The extent of their injuries is unknown; both men were in stable condition late Thursday, police said.

Jason Oei, 43, a second business owner, was at the scene at the time and wasn't injured.

Making hash oil using butane can be a dangerous endeavor. For years, the activity was unregulated and underground, carried out by home producers who often misunderstand the risks associated with butane. The gas, a cheap and flammable solvent, is used to extract tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, from marijuana flowers and leaves. It can quickly fill an enclosed space, where something as ordinary as a pilot light can ignite a fireball.

The dangers led to a law, signed earlier this year by Gov. Kate Brown, that makes unlicensed production of marijuana extracts a felony. The provision is intended to target homemade butane hash oil operations.

The law left existing commercial – yet unregulated – processors in in a gray area as the state transitioned to a fully regulated recreational market. As a stopgap, the state allowed these businesses to apply for an interim registration that protects them from criminal prosecution.

State officials said none of the businesses that applied for registration have followed through, most likely because they plan to pursue a license with the liquor control commission.

But even without being registered, extraction companies must follow state rules for processing, officials said.

"There are limitations on what they can do when they make those extracts and prohibitions on how they can make those extracts," said André Ourso, manager of the state's medical marijuana program. "If we went in there and we found they were doing things they weren't allowed to do, they would not get a registration from us."

The liquor control commission hasn't yet inspected the extraction facility and the business hadn't submitted paperwork showing its equipment meets state safety standards for marijuana processing.

Pettinger said it's premature to say how the blast might impact the company's prospect for a state license.

"Perhaps they had all the correct and adequate safeguards in place," he said. "I don't want to prejudge them before we have all the information."

Butane-fueled explosions are relatively common in Oregon and elsewhere in the country. Earlier this year, a butane-fueled explosion shook a Parkrose home, where three children, including an infant, were present. No one was injured.

In August, a BHO-related explosion leveled a Medford home. In 2013, a blast in a Gresham garage killed a Portland man and severely burned his friend.

-- Noelle Crombie"


"Officials said the explosion occurred in the basement where the extraction business is located."

A basement??
 

PDX Dopesmoker

Active member
if you had to take a guess on all these explosions, how many do you think were with a closed loop? how often do you hear of explosions with cls?

Its seems not all that uncommon, some people who would never open blast indoor don't see anything wrong with using their cls inside.
then one day they get a gas leak, the room fills with butane suddenly everything is on fire. This unfortunately results in shit quality errrl because all the terps evaporate out at high temperatures & in the most extreme cases the souls of the damned get infused into the dabs, makes them taste like burnt hair.
 
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