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Bho Disasters (PLEASE READ!)
- Thread starter Crooked8
- Start date
Thanks for the replies. Perhaps a comparison needs to be made to the number of people killed doing other things that are considered "safe". We have no numbers for people who DON'T blow themselves up, but I can bet you'd find the number percentage of people hurt using a CLS is miniscule in comparison. FACT tens of thousands of people are killed or injured every year by their BBQ grill.
Do I use my grill indoors? Of course not, but it is on the screen porch. I am in no way condoning or supporting improper equipment usage, only saying that I've somehow managed to cross the street without being hit by a car for over 50 years. Common sense, simple safety precautions, and not taking shortcuts, combined with even average quality equipment make closed loop extraction no more dangerous than your propane BBQ grill. IMHO
Do I use my grill indoors? Of course not, but it is on the screen porch. I am in no way condoning or supporting improper equipment usage, only saying that I've somehow managed to cross the street without being hit by a car for over 50 years. Common sense, simple safety precautions, and not taking shortcuts, combined with even average quality equipment make closed loop extraction no more dangerous than your propane BBQ grill. IMHO
https://www.sunjournal.com/home-lab...oncentrates-an-emerging-public-safety-threat/
Home labs for extracting cannabis concentrates an emerging public safety threat
By Gillian Graham, Portland Press Herald - May 21, 2018
BIDDEFORD — First responders and code enforcement inspectors have come across dozens of marijuana plants growing legally in apartments and houses across the city. But in late April they came across something new – and potentially dangerous – while putting out a fire in a downtown apartment building.
In the kitchen of a third-floor apartment sat a large metal cylinder filled with marijuana, attached by tubes to tanks of butane and refrigerant. The owner of the equipment was using it to illegally manufacture butane hash oil, a concentrate used to make a variety of products that are increasingly popular with people looking for alternative ways to consume cannabis.
A small leak in the tube and a single spark could have led to a flash fire and devastating consequences, said Roby Fecteau, the city’s code enforcement officer.
“If that fire had spread to the third floor, it would have been bad. It’s very, very dangerous,” he said. “It’s only a matter of time before we start seeing more of this.”
Because Biddeford officials had never encountered someone making butane hash oil in an apartment building and didn’t know how to safely dismantle the equipment, they called for assistance from drug agents. And last week, the city held a training session for 50 public safety employees with federal drug agents to learn how to identify and mitigate the danger when they encounter illegal manufacturing with dangerous chemicals.
Extracting concentrates from marijuana is not new – and it doesn’t always involve dangerous solvents – but public safety officials worry that more people will try hazardous methods now that marijuana use is legal in Maine. The adult recreational-use law prohibits home extraction using inherently hazardous substances such as butane and propane, but State Fire Marshal Joe Thomas said that won’t necessarily stop people.
“After 40 years in the fire service, I’ve learned that people are going to do it no matter what,” he said.
In January, the Office of State Fire Marshal was called to Ellsworth when a person was severely burned during a flash fire while manufacturing butane hash oil. A space heater ignited the butane and the person suffered second- and third-degree burns, Thomas said.
“It’s a preview of coming attractions,” he said.
Despite the risks involved, processing marijuana products is one of the fastest-growing sections of the marijuana industry. In states where adult-use cannabis is legal, edibles made from concentrates represent 10 percent of the total market.
“There is a huge market demand for concentrates,” said Hannah King, an attorney with DrummondWoodsum who focuses on cannabis issues. “In places where marijuana is legal, you see the market shift from flower to concentrate-based products. It’s part of the industry that is certainly not going away.”
Under the law for adult use, commercial manufacturers will need to be licensed and follow rules still to be developed by the state.
In recent months, lawmakers worked on establishing licenses and regulations for suppliers of medical marijuana who use explosive chemicals or gases to extract concentrates. A bill to amend the medical marijuana law to address extraction was carried over to the next legislative session, and it’s unclear when, or if, lawmakers will take it up again.
Medical marijuana processing began with patients who didn’t want to smoke their medicine and preferred odorless topicals, smokeless vaping or ingestible foods, oils or tinctures. Caregivers who specialize in extracting oils from cannabis use solvents to strip away anything from the plant they don’t want and leave them with the concentrated parts they do, like the psychoactive element THC or the cannabinoid CBD. They put the oils in capsules, vaporizers or food.
Explosions can occur as people pump butane fuel through a tube packed with marijuana plants to draw out THC and produce the highly potent concentrate that is known by various names, including hash oil, shatter and wax. The process can fill a room with volatile butane vapors that may be ignited by a flame or spark.
In 2014, there were 32 blasts associated with extraction labs in Colorado, injuring 17 people and prompting lawmakers in that state to make home extraction a felony. Dramatic videos posted online show houses with blown-out walls and processors being thrown across rooms by flash fires.
Chris Witherell, a professional engineer who does extraction facility certifications in 15 states, including Colorado and Maine, said extraction using chemicals such as butane is “certainly more dangerous than people think.”
“When people do this at home, there’s a whole bunch of things that can go wrong,” he said.
In certified facilities, processors have a dedicated extraction room with no ignition sources, hazardous exhaust systems to circulate air, and gas detection systems. Outside of those facilities, some people get into trouble when they use faulty equipment or make their own extraction equipment using pipes they buy at the hardware store, Witherell said.
“It’s dangerous and it’s not something you should do at home. We’ve seen people buy this stuff that’s not safe and they get a fire or explosion and it takes out half the house,” he said. “When these accidents happen, there is no time to react.”
Thomas said a handful of communities have reached out to him in the past year about fire safety issues related to marijuana, including about extraction labs. Local officials are learning about new aspects of the marijuana industry while developing local ordinances to address safety concerns, he said.
Maine is in the process of adopting the latest version of the national fire code, which adds a chapter dealing exclusively with marijuana growing and extraction facilities. The chapter includes standards specific to the extraction process, including ventilation and equipment.
(picture caption) Biddeford crews responding to a downtown building were relieved that the fire did not spread to this butane hash oil processing equipment in a third-floor apartment kitchen. (Biddeford Police Department via PPH)
Home labs for extracting cannabis concentrates an emerging public safety threat
By Gillian Graham, Portland Press Herald - May 21, 2018
BIDDEFORD — First responders and code enforcement inspectors have come across dozens of marijuana plants growing legally in apartments and houses across the city. But in late April they came across something new – and potentially dangerous – while putting out a fire in a downtown apartment building.
In the kitchen of a third-floor apartment sat a large metal cylinder filled with marijuana, attached by tubes to tanks of butane and refrigerant. The owner of the equipment was using it to illegally manufacture butane hash oil, a concentrate used to make a variety of products that are increasingly popular with people looking for alternative ways to consume cannabis.
A small leak in the tube and a single spark could have led to a flash fire and devastating consequences, said Roby Fecteau, the city’s code enforcement officer.
“If that fire had spread to the third floor, it would have been bad. It’s very, very dangerous,” he said. “It’s only a matter of time before we start seeing more of this.”
Because Biddeford officials had never encountered someone making butane hash oil in an apartment building and didn’t know how to safely dismantle the equipment, they called for assistance from drug agents. And last week, the city held a training session for 50 public safety employees with federal drug agents to learn how to identify and mitigate the danger when they encounter illegal manufacturing with dangerous chemicals.
Extracting concentrates from marijuana is not new – and it doesn’t always involve dangerous solvents – but public safety officials worry that more people will try hazardous methods now that marijuana use is legal in Maine. The adult recreational-use law prohibits home extraction using inherently hazardous substances such as butane and propane, but State Fire Marshal Joe Thomas said that won’t necessarily stop people.
“After 40 years in the fire service, I’ve learned that people are going to do it no matter what,” he said.
In January, the Office of State Fire Marshal was called to Ellsworth when a person was severely burned during a flash fire while manufacturing butane hash oil. A space heater ignited the butane and the person suffered second- and third-degree burns, Thomas said.
“It’s a preview of coming attractions,” he said.
Despite the risks involved, processing marijuana products is one of the fastest-growing sections of the marijuana industry. In states where adult-use cannabis is legal, edibles made from concentrates represent 10 percent of the total market.
“There is a huge market demand for concentrates,” said Hannah King, an attorney with DrummondWoodsum who focuses on cannabis issues. “In places where marijuana is legal, you see the market shift from flower to concentrate-based products. It’s part of the industry that is certainly not going away.”
Under the law for adult use, commercial manufacturers will need to be licensed and follow rules still to be developed by the state.
In recent months, lawmakers worked on establishing licenses and regulations for suppliers of medical marijuana who use explosive chemicals or gases to extract concentrates. A bill to amend the medical marijuana law to address extraction was carried over to the next legislative session, and it’s unclear when, or if, lawmakers will take it up again.
Medical marijuana processing began with patients who didn’t want to smoke their medicine and preferred odorless topicals, smokeless vaping or ingestible foods, oils or tinctures. Caregivers who specialize in extracting oils from cannabis use solvents to strip away anything from the plant they don’t want and leave them with the concentrated parts they do, like the psychoactive element THC or the cannabinoid CBD. They put the oils in capsules, vaporizers or food.
Explosions can occur as people pump butane fuel through a tube packed with marijuana plants to draw out THC and produce the highly potent concentrate that is known by various names, including hash oil, shatter and wax. The process can fill a room with volatile butane vapors that may be ignited by a flame or spark.
In 2014, there were 32 blasts associated with extraction labs in Colorado, injuring 17 people and prompting lawmakers in that state to make home extraction a felony. Dramatic videos posted online show houses with blown-out walls and processors being thrown across rooms by flash fires.
Chris Witherell, a professional engineer who does extraction facility certifications in 15 states, including Colorado and Maine, said extraction using chemicals such as butane is “certainly more dangerous than people think.”
“When people do this at home, there’s a whole bunch of things that can go wrong,” he said.
In certified facilities, processors have a dedicated extraction room with no ignition sources, hazardous exhaust systems to circulate air, and gas detection systems. Outside of those facilities, some people get into trouble when they use faulty equipment or make their own extraction equipment using pipes they buy at the hardware store, Witherell said.
“It’s dangerous and it’s not something you should do at home. We’ve seen people buy this stuff that’s not safe and they get a fire or explosion and it takes out half the house,” he said. “When these accidents happen, there is no time to react.”
Thomas said a handful of communities have reached out to him in the past year about fire safety issues related to marijuana, including about extraction labs. Local officials are learning about new aspects of the marijuana industry while developing local ordinances to address safety concerns, he said.
Maine is in the process of adopting the latest version of the national fire code, which adds a chapter dealing exclusively with marijuana growing and extraction facilities. The chapter includes standards specific to the extraction process, including ventilation and equipment.
(picture caption) Biddeford crews responding to a downtown building were relieved that the fire did not spread to this butane hash oil processing equipment in a third-floor apartment kitchen. (Biddeford Police Department via PPH)
Attachments
https://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/index.ssf/2018/05/dad_loses_custody_of_kids_afte.html
Marijuana wax lab may have started Bay City house fire, says DHS petition
Updated May 23, 12:34 PM; Posted May 23, 12:36 PM
BAY CITY, MI -- As a Bay City man continues to recover from burns he suffered in a recent house fire, the courts have ordered custody of his children be given to their mother, based on allegations he started the blaze by using a volatile method to make marijuana wax.
The fire in question was reported at 3:17 p.m. on Sunday, May 6, at a two-story building at 602 Salzburg Ave. Bay City Fire Chief Karey Prieur told The Bay City Times-MLive. The building comprises two apartments, one on each floor.
Two neighbors helped a 43-year-old man and his 10-year-old daughter get out of their first-floor apartment before firefighters arrived, Prieur said. The man and his daughter were subsequently transferred to Hurley Medical Center in Flint to be treated for burns, where the man remained as of May 22, Prieur said.
The fire started in the man's bedroom and spread, rendering the structure a total loss, Prieur said. Monitor Township firefighters lent mutual aid, with the last rig clearing the scene at 8:51 p.m.
"The fire was difficult to extinguish because a gas meter had been broken off," Prieur said. "We had gas at 52 PSI feeding the fire."
Prieur said the cause of the fire hasn't yet been officially determined and is still being actively investigated.
However, in a notarized affidavit, the burned child's mother and the man's ex-wife asserts the man was "using a blowtorch to burn the (marijuana) down to use in another form." A fire erupted, which caused an explosion.
The couple's daughter was in another room at the time. The mom picked the girl up from Hurley after she received treatment, she wrote in the affidavit.
The couple's 14-year-old son was at a laundromat at the time of the fire, the woman wrote.
The woman wrote the affidavit to get the courts to allow her to have temporary custody of her and the man's two children. According to court files, her ex-husband has had sole legal and physical custody of the two children since the couple divorced in February 2018, though they had lived with him since December 2013.
A petition filed by the Department of Human Services states it is believed the children's father was manufacturing marijuana wax in a lab when the fire broke out. The same day, the man's son told a Child Protective Services employee that his dad has produced marijuana wax and oil on several prior occasions.
Marijuana wax, also known as butane hash oil, is more potent than an average joint. To manufacture it, marijuana buds are packed into tubes and blasted with butane, which leads to the extraction of hash oil. The oils are then purged with heat and the substance left behind resembles beeswax, according to Herb.co.
The DHS petition goes on to say both kids have helped their father put together the supplies needed to make the substances and that people come visit their house daily to buy the products from their dad.
The children's parents have a long history with DHS, the report states, involving domestic violence and drug use. The petition concludes by asking the children to be made temporary wards of the court and placed in the homes of a suitable relative or fosterer.
In her affidavit, the woman asserts she has been clean for four years and has consistently tested negative for drugs in that span.
In a May 8 hearing, Saginaw County Circuit Judge James T. Borchard granted her temporary custody of her two children. A subsequent hearing held Monday, May 21, Borchard again granted legal and physical custody of the two children to the mother, with her ex-husband to have visiting time at her discretion or until he files a petition.
In a hospital interview with WNEM TV5, the children's father said he was frying chicken inside his bedroom. He has also started a GoFundMe page asking for $5,000 in donations.
Marijuana wax lab may have started Bay City house fire, says DHS petition
Updated May 23, 12:34 PM; Posted May 23, 12:36 PM
BAY CITY, MI -- As a Bay City man continues to recover from burns he suffered in a recent house fire, the courts have ordered custody of his children be given to their mother, based on allegations he started the blaze by using a volatile method to make marijuana wax.
The fire in question was reported at 3:17 p.m. on Sunday, May 6, at a two-story building at 602 Salzburg Ave. Bay City Fire Chief Karey Prieur told The Bay City Times-MLive. The building comprises two apartments, one on each floor.
Two neighbors helped a 43-year-old man and his 10-year-old daughter get out of their first-floor apartment before firefighters arrived, Prieur said. The man and his daughter were subsequently transferred to Hurley Medical Center in Flint to be treated for burns, where the man remained as of May 22, Prieur said.
The fire started in the man's bedroom and spread, rendering the structure a total loss, Prieur said. Monitor Township firefighters lent mutual aid, with the last rig clearing the scene at 8:51 p.m.
"The fire was difficult to extinguish because a gas meter had been broken off," Prieur said. "We had gas at 52 PSI feeding the fire."
Prieur said the cause of the fire hasn't yet been officially determined and is still being actively investigated.
However, in a notarized affidavit, the burned child's mother and the man's ex-wife asserts the man was "using a blowtorch to burn the (marijuana) down to use in another form." A fire erupted, which caused an explosion.
The couple's daughter was in another room at the time. The mom picked the girl up from Hurley after she received treatment, she wrote in the affidavit.
The couple's 14-year-old son was at a laundromat at the time of the fire, the woman wrote.
The woman wrote the affidavit to get the courts to allow her to have temporary custody of her and the man's two children. According to court files, her ex-husband has had sole legal and physical custody of the two children since the couple divorced in February 2018, though they had lived with him since December 2013.
A petition filed by the Department of Human Services states it is believed the children's father was manufacturing marijuana wax in a lab when the fire broke out. The same day, the man's son told a Child Protective Services employee that his dad has produced marijuana wax and oil on several prior occasions.
Marijuana wax, also known as butane hash oil, is more potent than an average joint. To manufacture it, marijuana buds are packed into tubes and blasted with butane, which leads to the extraction of hash oil. The oils are then purged with heat and the substance left behind resembles beeswax, according to Herb.co.
The DHS petition goes on to say both kids have helped their father put together the supplies needed to make the substances and that people come visit their house daily to buy the products from their dad.
The children's parents have a long history with DHS, the report states, involving domestic violence and drug use. The petition concludes by asking the children to be made temporary wards of the court and placed in the homes of a suitable relative or fosterer.
In her affidavit, the woman asserts she has been clean for four years and has consistently tested negative for drugs in that span.
In a May 8 hearing, Saginaw County Circuit Judge James T. Borchard granted her temporary custody of her two children. A subsequent hearing held Monday, May 21, Borchard again granted legal and physical custody of the two children to the mother, with her ex-husband to have visiting time at her discretion or until he files a petition.
In a hospital interview with WNEM TV5, the children's father said he was frying chicken inside his bedroom. He has also started a GoFundMe page asking for $5,000 in donations.
Attachments
http://www.kktv.com/content/news/1-arrested-for-hash-oil-operation-483485601.html
1 arrested for hash oil operation
Posted: Wed 12:36 PM, May 23, 2018 | Updated: Thu 9:59 AM, May 24, 2018
PUEBLO, Colo. (KKTV) - A Pueblo woman was arrested Wednesday after an explosion in an apartment near the Bessemer neighborhood.
Police say it was a hash oil operation that caused the explosion and fire. Neighbors told 11 News they could hear the blast.
The woman was arrested for arson. According to police, 35-year-old Amber Diaz was a "visitor" to the apartment and started the fire during hash oil production.
The fire was reported shortly before 11 a.m. on Sprague Avenue.
1 arrested for hash oil operation
Posted: Wed 12:36 PM, May 23, 2018 | Updated: Thu 9:59 AM, May 24, 2018
PUEBLO, Colo. (KKTV) - A Pueblo woman was arrested Wednesday after an explosion in an apartment near the Bessemer neighborhood.
Police say it was a hash oil operation that caused the explosion and fire. Neighbors told 11 News they could hear the blast.
The woman was arrested for arson. According to police, 35-year-old Amber Diaz was a "visitor" to the apartment and started the fire during hash oil production.
The fire was reported shortly before 11 a.m. on Sprague Avenue.
https://www.9news.com/article/news/...ferson-county-hash-oil-explosion/73-558724626
Man severely burned in Jefferson County hash oil explosion
Author: Krystyna Biassou
Published: 7:50 AM MDT May 26, 2018
Updated: 8:20 AM MDT May 26, 2018
A man suffered severe burns after a hash oil explosion in Golden on Friday night, according to a spokesperson with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.
Around 11:30 p.m., an explosion was reported at 16515 W. 12th Drive, Mark Techmeyer with Jefferson County Sheriff's Office told 9NEWS.
When crews arrived on scene, Techmeyer says the injured man who was trying to cook hash oil was standing in the driveway with severe burns. He was taken to the hospital.
It's unclear at this time what charges he could face.
No one else was inside the home at the time of the explosion.
Man severely burned in Jefferson County hash oil explosion
Author: Krystyna Biassou
Published: 7:50 AM MDT May 26, 2018
Updated: 8:20 AM MDT May 26, 2018
A man suffered severe burns after a hash oil explosion in Golden on Friday night, according to a spokesperson with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.
Around 11:30 p.m., an explosion was reported at 16515 W. 12th Drive, Mark Techmeyer with Jefferson County Sheriff's Office told 9NEWS.
When crews arrived on scene, Techmeyer says the injured man who was trying to cook hash oil was standing in the driveway with severe burns. He was taken to the hospital.
It's unclear at this time what charges he could face.
No one else was inside the home at the time of the explosion.
https://www.dea.gov/divisions/la/2018/la061818a.shtml
June 18, 2018
Contact: DEA Public Affairs
Los Angeles Division
213-621-6827
@DEALosAngeles
Former LAPD officer sentenced to 60 months in federal prison after illegal drug lab exploded in his garage
(LOS ANGELES) - A former Los Angeles Police Department officer whose garage explosion revealed the makeshift lab where he used butane to extract hash oil containing tetrahydrocannabinol, or “THC,” from marijuana plants, was sentenced to five years in federal prison. Joseph Jay Spadafore, 64, of Menifee was sentenced this morning by United States District Judge John F. Walter after a federal jury found him guilty of maintaining drug involved premises. The sentence stems from an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
During the trial in March, 2018, a jury heard evidence that Spadafore, who was an LAPD officer from 1976 to 1991, converted a house into a drug lab where he extracted hashish oil containing THC from marijuana plants using a dangerous process involving butane, a highly flammable gas. A Los Angeles Fire Captain testified about the 911 calls from neighbors reporting a loud explosion just before midnight on November 3, 2017, and a call from Spadafore himself at the house in a residential neighborhood in Lake Elsinore.
At the time of the explosion and subsequent fire, Spadafore was the only person living at the house, which the homeowner believed had been rented to a different man residing in Florida. When the firefighters arrived to combat the blaze, the entire garage was engulfed in flames and Spadafore was the only person present. When the firefighters swept the house for additional occupants, they instead found what they immediately recognized as potentially hazardous lab equipment and chemicals in almost every room. Law enforcement subsequently seized at least 22 propane tanks in the garage, dozens of soda kegs and other large containers filled with extracted THC, jars of THC powder, butane and trash bags filled with marijuana. In total, law enforcement found over 28 liters of hash oil containing THC scattered in virtually every room of the residence, which had been converted almost entirely into a drug lab.
The jury heard testimony that the only room in the home that appeared occupied was the master bedroom, which was filled with Spadafore’s mail and personal belongings, including two firearms. One firearm was loaded and found underneath Spadafore’s pillow.
At sentencing, Judge Walter rejected Spadafore’s argument that he was simply “crashing” at the house because he needed a place to sleep, finding that he was involved in the manufacture of hash oil at the house and that Spadafore possessed the two firearms to protect himself and the drugs, which were valued at between $300,000 and $500,000. Among the factors Judge Walter cited as influencing his sentence were Spadafore’s lack of any acceptance of responsibility or remorse for failing to warn first responders about the dangerous quantities of butane and propane inside the home and garage before they entered to conduct a safety sweep when responding to the fire.
This case was investigated by the DEA’s Riverside District Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jehan M. Pernas and Frances S. Lewis of the General Crimes Section and Kathy Yu of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Section.
I live in Menifee, Sun City precisely, about ten miles from downtown Lake Elsinore.
June 18, 2018
Contact: DEA Public Affairs
Los Angeles Division
213-621-6827
@DEALosAngeles
Former LAPD officer sentenced to 60 months in federal prison after illegal drug lab exploded in his garage
(LOS ANGELES) - A former Los Angeles Police Department officer whose garage explosion revealed the makeshift lab where he used butane to extract hash oil containing tetrahydrocannabinol, or “THC,” from marijuana plants, was sentenced to five years in federal prison. Joseph Jay Spadafore, 64, of Menifee was sentenced this morning by United States District Judge John F. Walter after a federal jury found him guilty of maintaining drug involved premises. The sentence stems from an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
During the trial in March, 2018, a jury heard evidence that Spadafore, who was an LAPD officer from 1976 to 1991, converted a house into a drug lab where he extracted hashish oil containing THC from marijuana plants using a dangerous process involving butane, a highly flammable gas. A Los Angeles Fire Captain testified about the 911 calls from neighbors reporting a loud explosion just before midnight on November 3, 2017, and a call from Spadafore himself at the house in a residential neighborhood in Lake Elsinore.
At the time of the explosion and subsequent fire, Spadafore was the only person living at the house, which the homeowner believed had been rented to a different man residing in Florida. When the firefighters arrived to combat the blaze, the entire garage was engulfed in flames and Spadafore was the only person present. When the firefighters swept the house for additional occupants, they instead found what they immediately recognized as potentially hazardous lab equipment and chemicals in almost every room. Law enforcement subsequently seized at least 22 propane tanks in the garage, dozens of soda kegs and other large containers filled with extracted THC, jars of THC powder, butane and trash bags filled with marijuana. In total, law enforcement found over 28 liters of hash oil containing THC scattered in virtually every room of the residence, which had been converted almost entirely into a drug lab.
The jury heard testimony that the only room in the home that appeared occupied was the master bedroom, which was filled with Spadafore’s mail and personal belongings, including two firearms. One firearm was loaded and found underneath Spadafore’s pillow.
At sentencing, Judge Walter rejected Spadafore’s argument that he was simply “crashing” at the house because he needed a place to sleep, finding that he was involved in the manufacture of hash oil at the house and that Spadafore possessed the two firearms to protect himself and the drugs, which were valued at between $300,000 and $500,000. Among the factors Judge Walter cited as influencing his sentence were Spadafore’s lack of any acceptance of responsibility or remorse for failing to warn first responders about the dangerous quantities of butane and propane inside the home and garage before they entered to conduct a safety sweep when responding to the fire.
This case was investigated by the DEA’s Riverside District Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jehan M. Pernas and Frances S. Lewis of the General Crimes Section and Kathy Yu of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Section.
I live in Menifee, Sun City precisely, about ten miles from downtown Lake Elsinore.
Last edited:
https://www.ksbw.com/article/watsonville-explosion-burns-half-of-man-s-body/21757151
Watsonville explosion burns half of man's body
Felix Cortez
Updated: 7:14 PM PDT Jun 21, 2018
Police were not notified until the following day.
(partial transcript from the video)
WEBVTT WATSONVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT WITH THE STORY. FELIX: ONE QUESTION IS, WERE THE OPERATORS TRYING TO HIDE EVIDENCE? BY THE TIME POLICE ARRIVED ON THE SCENE, ANY EVIDENCE OF WORKING HASH OIL LAB WAS GONE. THE HASH OIL LAB EXPLODED TUESDAY EVENING, INSIDE THIS STORAGE POD LOCATED BEHIND A BUILDING ON 18 HANGAR WAY IN WATSONVILLE TO GET -- WATSONVILLE. A CENTRAL COAST MAN BURNED OVER 50% OF HIS BODY, HE ENDED UP WALKING TO NEARBY WATSONVILLE HOSPITAL. >> IT’S A VERY COMBUSTIBLE MATERIAL THAT IS USED. IF IT IS NOT DONE CORRECTLY, IT CAN LEAD TO SOMETHING LIKE THIS. FELIX: IT’S UNKNOWN WHAT CAUSED THE EXPLOSION, BUT THIS IS WHAT THE LAB LOOKED LIKE PRIOR TO THE BLAST. PART OF THE PROBLEM IS POLICE WEREN’T NOTIFIED ABOUT THE ACCIDENT UNTIL THE FOLLOWING DAY. WHEN THEY SHOWED UP, ANY EVIDENCE OF A HASH OIL LAB WAS GONE. >> BY THE TIME OUR OFFICERS WERE NOTIFIED OF THIS AND MADE IT OUT TO THE SCENE, ALL THAT WAS LEFT WAS A STORAGE CONTAINER WHICH HAD THE ROOF BLOWN OFF AND ONE OF THE DOORS BLOWN OUT. THERE WAS NOTHING LEFT INSIDE. FELIX: POLICE SAY THE PERSON WHO WAS BURNED WORKS FOR FUTURE TWO LABS OUT OF SANTA CRUZ, IN ANOTHER TWIST THE COMPANY APPLIED FOR A MARIJUANA MANUFACTURING PERMIT AT THE WATSONVILLE SITE LAST YEAR, BUT CITY LEADERS DENIED THE APPLICATION BECAUSE OF NUMEROUS FALSE AND MISLEADING STATEMENTS AND OMISSIONS. WE ARE INVESTIGATING THIS AS A SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCE. FELIX: AND THE ONE PERSON WHO MAY PROVIDE THE ANSWERS TO A LOT OF QUESTIONS IS LAID UP IN A B AREA BURN CENTER. >> HE IS A 30-YEAR-OLD MALE. HE WOULD NOT BE A CRIME VICTIM AT ALL. TO US, IT LOOKS LIKE IT IS AN INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENT. FELIX: THEY PLAN TO INTERVIEW HIM WHENEVER HE IS ABLE TO. ALSO NEITHER THE OWNER OF FUTURE TWO LABS NOR HIS ATTORNEY RESPONDED TO MY REQUEST FOR COMMENT. ERIN: THANK YOU. AS YOU HEARD, WATSONVILLE POLICE SAY, THIS MAY ALSO BE CONSIDERED AN INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENT, THEY HAVE NOTIFIED CAL-OSHA, WHO HAVE NOW OPENED AN INVESTIGATION.
The storage pod set aside from other structures seems to have been a practical idea, but it's obvious there was little to no ventilation - the roof and door blew out. A few $20 fans from the local home improvement center would have sufficed.
Picture of my fan stack, and cardboard doorway baffle.
Watsonville explosion burns half of man's body
Felix Cortez
Updated: 7:14 PM PDT Jun 21, 2018
Police were not notified until the following day.
(partial transcript from the video)
WEBVTT WATSONVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT WITH THE STORY. FELIX: ONE QUESTION IS, WERE THE OPERATORS TRYING TO HIDE EVIDENCE? BY THE TIME POLICE ARRIVED ON THE SCENE, ANY EVIDENCE OF WORKING HASH OIL LAB WAS GONE. THE HASH OIL LAB EXPLODED TUESDAY EVENING, INSIDE THIS STORAGE POD LOCATED BEHIND A BUILDING ON 18 HANGAR WAY IN WATSONVILLE TO GET -- WATSONVILLE. A CENTRAL COAST MAN BURNED OVER 50% OF HIS BODY, HE ENDED UP WALKING TO NEARBY WATSONVILLE HOSPITAL. >> IT’S A VERY COMBUSTIBLE MATERIAL THAT IS USED. IF IT IS NOT DONE CORRECTLY, IT CAN LEAD TO SOMETHING LIKE THIS. FELIX: IT’S UNKNOWN WHAT CAUSED THE EXPLOSION, BUT THIS IS WHAT THE LAB LOOKED LIKE PRIOR TO THE BLAST. PART OF THE PROBLEM IS POLICE WEREN’T NOTIFIED ABOUT THE ACCIDENT UNTIL THE FOLLOWING DAY. WHEN THEY SHOWED UP, ANY EVIDENCE OF A HASH OIL LAB WAS GONE. >> BY THE TIME OUR OFFICERS WERE NOTIFIED OF THIS AND MADE IT OUT TO THE SCENE, ALL THAT WAS LEFT WAS A STORAGE CONTAINER WHICH HAD THE ROOF BLOWN OFF AND ONE OF THE DOORS BLOWN OUT. THERE WAS NOTHING LEFT INSIDE. FELIX: POLICE SAY THE PERSON WHO WAS BURNED WORKS FOR FUTURE TWO LABS OUT OF SANTA CRUZ, IN ANOTHER TWIST THE COMPANY APPLIED FOR A MARIJUANA MANUFACTURING PERMIT AT THE WATSONVILLE SITE LAST YEAR, BUT CITY LEADERS DENIED THE APPLICATION BECAUSE OF NUMEROUS FALSE AND MISLEADING STATEMENTS AND OMISSIONS. WE ARE INVESTIGATING THIS AS A SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCE. FELIX: AND THE ONE PERSON WHO MAY PROVIDE THE ANSWERS TO A LOT OF QUESTIONS IS LAID UP IN A B AREA BURN CENTER. >> HE IS A 30-YEAR-OLD MALE. HE WOULD NOT BE A CRIME VICTIM AT ALL. TO US, IT LOOKS LIKE IT IS AN INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENT. FELIX: THEY PLAN TO INTERVIEW HIM WHENEVER HE IS ABLE TO. ALSO NEITHER THE OWNER OF FUTURE TWO LABS NOR HIS ATTORNEY RESPONDED TO MY REQUEST FOR COMMENT. ERIN: THANK YOU. AS YOU HEARD, WATSONVILLE POLICE SAY, THIS MAY ALSO BE CONSIDERED AN INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENT, THEY HAVE NOTIFIED CAL-OSHA, WHO HAVE NOW OPENED AN INVESTIGATION.
The storage pod set aside from other structures seems to have been a practical idea, but it's obvious there was little to no ventilation - the roof and door blew out. A few $20 fans from the local home improvement center would have sufficed.
Picture of my fan stack, and cardboard doorway baffle.
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https://www.sltrib.com/news/2018/06/27/police-say-two-are/
Police say two are injured in an explosion while trying to extract THC from marijuana in a Millcreek home
By Erin Alberty Published: 12 hours ago Updated: 12 hours ago
A woman was critically burned Tuesday when a device exploded in a Millcreek home as she was extracting THC from marijuana to make “dabs” for vaping, police said.
The woman, 33, and a man, 30, were making “butane hash oil,” a marijuana extract that concentrates THC, the chemical that gives users a high, said Unified Police Sgt. Melody Gray.
Fumes from the butane — which is the solvent that extracts the THC — gathered in the basement lab in a home near 3300 South and Scott Court, Gray said. Investigators believe the pilot light on the water heater ignited the fumes, causing an explosion.
The woman suffered severe burns to her face, neck, chest and arms, Gray said. She was in critical condition Tuesday night. The man was in fair condition.
Police say two are injured in an explosion while trying to extract THC from marijuana in a Millcreek home
By Erin Alberty Published: 12 hours ago Updated: 12 hours ago
A woman was critically burned Tuesday when a device exploded in a Millcreek home as she was extracting THC from marijuana to make “dabs” for vaping, police said.
The woman, 33, and a man, 30, were making “butane hash oil,” a marijuana extract that concentrates THC, the chemical that gives users a high, said Unified Police Sgt. Melody Gray.
Fumes from the butane — which is the solvent that extracts the THC — gathered in the basement lab in a home near 3300 South and Scott Court, Gray said. Investigators believe the pilot light on the water heater ignited the fumes, causing an explosion.
The woman suffered severe burns to her face, neck, chest and arms, Gray said. She was in critical condition Tuesday night. The man was in fair condition.
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/local/8483556-181/police-2-burned-in-hash
Police: 2 burned in hash oil lab explosion near Sebastopol
CHRISTI WARREN
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT | June 28, 2018, 5:59PM | Updated 2 hours ago
Two men were injured Wednesday night when a hash oil lab exploded at a home south of Sebastopol, authorities said.
The men drove to Sonoma West Medical Center without alerting authorities to the explosion, and told hospital staff they were burned in a barbecue accident, though they couldn’t provide any details about it, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
Deputies were called in after hospital staff became suspicious about the origins of their burns. The men’s names are not being released because they aren’t under arrest, sheriff’s spokeswoman Misti Harris said.
Both men suffered severe burns and had to be transferred to an out-of-county hospital, Harris said. One was taken by helicopter.
When detectives went to the Wendell Lane house, they discovered a damaged hash oil lab in one of the outbuildings and a melted garbage can of marijuana outside, the sheriff’s office said. Someone had hosed down the building.
I don't see in the pictures any ventilation equipment. High volume forced ventilation, and the elimination or suppression of ignition sources is necessary.
Police: 2 burned in hash oil lab explosion near Sebastopol
CHRISTI WARREN
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT | June 28, 2018, 5:59PM | Updated 2 hours ago
Two men were injured Wednesday night when a hash oil lab exploded at a home south of Sebastopol, authorities said.
The men drove to Sonoma West Medical Center without alerting authorities to the explosion, and told hospital staff they were burned in a barbecue accident, though they couldn’t provide any details about it, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
Deputies were called in after hospital staff became suspicious about the origins of their burns. The men’s names are not being released because they aren’t under arrest, sheriff’s spokeswoman Misti Harris said.
Both men suffered severe burns and had to be transferred to an out-of-county hospital, Harris said. One was taken by helicopter.
When detectives went to the Wendell Lane house, they discovered a damaged hash oil lab in one of the outbuildings and a melted garbage can of marijuana outside, the sheriff’s office said. Someone had hosed down the building.
I don't see in the pictures any ventilation equipment. High volume forced ventilation, and the elimination or suppression of ignition sources is necessary.
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Bowed out the walls, they probably didn't even have the door open. There should have been massive forced air flow through the entire space, the end of the building shown is closed.
Sonoma Sheriff
June 28, 2018 at 2:20 PM ·
Two men were seriously burned last night after a butane honey oil (BHO) lab exploded. The men drove themselves to Sonoma West Medical Center claiming they were burned in a barbecue accident. However, they couldn't describe the accident and didn't call for fire or an ambulance at the house. Deputies went to the house and found an outbuilding converted to a butane honey oil lab. Damage included a melted trash can of marijuana just outside the lab and slightly bowed out walls. Our partners at the local fire department checked for hot spots to make sure it wouldn't catch fire again.
Detectives are still investigating the incident, which happened in the 5200 block Wendell Lane in the Hessell area. Read all the details here: http://local.nixle.com/alert/6652982/
https://www.facebook.com/sonoma.sheriff/
Sonoma Sheriff
June 28, 2018 at 2:20 PM ·
Two men were seriously burned last night after a butane honey oil (BHO) lab exploded. The men drove themselves to Sonoma West Medical Center claiming they were burned in a barbecue accident. However, they couldn't describe the accident and didn't call for fire or an ambulance at the house. Deputies went to the house and found an outbuilding converted to a butane honey oil lab. Damage included a melted trash can of marijuana just outside the lab and slightly bowed out walls. Our partners at the local fire department checked for hot spots to make sure it wouldn't catch fire again.
Detectives are still investigating the incident, which happened in the 5200 block Wendell Lane in the Hessell area. Read all the details here: http://local.nixle.com/alert/6652982/
https://www.facebook.com/sonoma.sheriff/
https://www.desertsun.com/story/new...n-site-illegal-drug-lab-police-say/711988002/
Suspect arrested in Desert Hot Springs explosion caused by an illegal drug lab
Colin Atagi and Alena Maschke, Palm Springs Desert Sun Published 3:28 p.m. PT June 18, 2018 | Updated 4:12 p.m. PT June 19, 2018
A 26-year-old man has been arrested in connection with an explosion at an illegal drug lab in Desert Hot Springs, police said.
Tyler Lee Ropac was arrested following the explosion, and subsequent fire, and booked into the Banning Jail on charges of arson, operating a clandestine laboratory, child endangerment, and cruelty to animals, officials said on Tuesday.
City spokesperson Doria Wilms said children lived at the home, but were not present at the time of the explosion.
Investigators determined on Monday that the illegal drug lab played a role in the explosion at a home on the 65-900 block of Desert View. During an investigation of the property, Desert Hot Springs detectives and officers from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department Marijuana Enforcement team discovered evidence of the drug lab and a dead dog. Officials said it was not clear if the dog died during the explosion or due to smoke from the fire.
The explosion happened just before noon at West Drive and Desert View Avenue. No one was injured, Desert Hot Springs police Chief Dale Mondary said.
Chief Mondary later took to Twitter to share his perspective on the incident. "The Results of an illegal lab; you set your house on fire, you endangering other people, you lose your drugs and you go to jail," his tweet said.
According to police, the lab was set up to produce honey oil, a potent drug derived from cannabis plants.
An explosion in an illegal honey oil lab set up in a Palm Springs hotel room in 2015 made headlines when the girlfriend of aspiring drug manufacturer Alex Gonzalez suffered severe burns that left her scarred for life and unable to walk at 21 as a result.
"I've seen it happen before, but it's something that's unusual," Mondary said. However, cases across the county were common enough for District Attorney Mike Hestrin's office to start a campaign in 2017, warning aspiring honey oil cooks of the potentially disastrous consequences.
Incidentally, the most recent explosion fell on the same day as the sentencing of a former Los Angeles Police Department officer, whose garage explosion in a Lake Elsinore home revealed an illegal honey oil lab. Joseph Jay Spadafore, 64, of Menifee was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison Monday morning.
"Clearly this is not safe and we're lucky that no one was injured," Mondary added.
Mondary also asked residents to be vigilant and report any suspected drug labs to the police. "We would encourage them to call us," Mondary said. The odor of chemicals or gas could me a sign of a nearby drug lab, the police chief added.
The Riverside County Hazardous Materials Unit was called in to investigate the explosion and the intersection is expected to be closed for several hours.
Suspect arrested in Desert Hot Springs explosion caused by an illegal drug lab
Colin Atagi and Alena Maschke, Palm Springs Desert Sun Published 3:28 p.m. PT June 18, 2018 | Updated 4:12 p.m. PT June 19, 2018
A 26-year-old man has been arrested in connection with an explosion at an illegal drug lab in Desert Hot Springs, police said.
Tyler Lee Ropac was arrested following the explosion, and subsequent fire, and booked into the Banning Jail on charges of arson, operating a clandestine laboratory, child endangerment, and cruelty to animals, officials said on Tuesday.
City spokesperson Doria Wilms said children lived at the home, but were not present at the time of the explosion.
Investigators determined on Monday that the illegal drug lab played a role in the explosion at a home on the 65-900 block of Desert View. During an investigation of the property, Desert Hot Springs detectives and officers from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department Marijuana Enforcement team discovered evidence of the drug lab and a dead dog. Officials said it was not clear if the dog died during the explosion or due to smoke from the fire.
The explosion happened just before noon at West Drive and Desert View Avenue. No one was injured, Desert Hot Springs police Chief Dale Mondary said.
Chief Mondary later took to Twitter to share his perspective on the incident. "The Results of an illegal lab; you set your house on fire, you endangering other people, you lose your drugs and you go to jail," his tweet said.
According to police, the lab was set up to produce honey oil, a potent drug derived from cannabis plants.
An explosion in an illegal honey oil lab set up in a Palm Springs hotel room in 2015 made headlines when the girlfriend of aspiring drug manufacturer Alex Gonzalez suffered severe burns that left her scarred for life and unable to walk at 21 as a result.
"I've seen it happen before, but it's something that's unusual," Mondary said. However, cases across the county were common enough for District Attorney Mike Hestrin's office to start a campaign in 2017, warning aspiring honey oil cooks of the potentially disastrous consequences.
Incidentally, the most recent explosion fell on the same day as the sentencing of a former Los Angeles Police Department officer, whose garage explosion in a Lake Elsinore home revealed an illegal honey oil lab. Joseph Jay Spadafore, 64, of Menifee was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison Monday morning.
"Clearly this is not safe and we're lucky that no one was injured," Mondary added.
Mondary also asked residents to be vigilant and report any suspected drug labs to the police. "We would encourage them to call us," Mondary said. The odor of chemicals or gas could me a sign of a nearby drug lab, the police chief added.
The Riverside County Hazardous Materials Unit was called in to investigate the explosion and the intersection is expected to be closed for several hours.
Massive flowthrough ventilation, and elimination or suppression of ignition sources is necessary to avoid indoor flammable solvent extraction explosions.
Best Value Vacs fields a nice range of blowers for purview,
https://www.bestvaluevacs.com/categories/accessories/safety-devices.html
At least grab some box fans from a home improvement store, I'm reposting the pics of my cheap fan stack (3 x $20) and cardboard baffle I use to force air through the house and out the back door.
Best Value Vacs fields a nice range of blowers for purview,
https://www.bestvaluevacs.com/categories/accessories/safety-devices.html
At least grab some box fans from a home improvement store, I'm reposting the pics of my cheap fan stack (3 x $20) and cardboard baffle I use to force air through the house and out the back door.
Attachments
(the two posts quoted above have the pictures I took attached)
https://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/...ter-his-lab-ignited-a-house-fire-in-wildomar/
Man gets 3 years in prison for making illegal drugs after his lab ignited a house fire in Wildomar
By CITY NEWS SERVICE |
PUBLISHED: July 19, 2018 at 12:02 am | UPDATED: July 19, 2018 at 12:05 am
MURRIETA — A man whose illegal drug manufacturing operation triggered a fire in Wildomar that destroyed a home and damaged another, leaving him with burn injuries, was sentenced Wednesday to three years in state prison.
Bracken Blucher pleaded guilty in May to manufacturing illegal drugs, causing a fire that resulted in property damage and a sentence-enhancing allegation of causing damage to multiple structures in a fire.
A Riverside County Superior Court judge certified the plea terms and imposed the sentence recommended by the Department of Probation.
The judge additionally ordered Blucher to pay victim restitution in an amount that will be determined by the agency.
Blucher was in the process of making a marijuana derivative known as “honey oil” in the predawn hours of July 19, 2017, when his residence erupted in flames from a butane gas explosion.
The blaze on Harvest Way, near Cornstalk Road, was reported at 4 a.m.
According to county fire officials, a 1,200-square foot modular home was consumed by the conflagration, and a neighboring single-story residence was moderately damaged.
Blucher suffered minor to moderate burns that required emergency treatment.
Investigators found butane gas cannisters scattered throughout the street and yard fronting the property where the fire started.
https://www.ifiberone.com/columbia_...cle_15d8ca06-95b7-11e8-bd59-638c3bd8b3e3.html
Explosion inside tent near Moses Lake leaves man with second-degree burns
By Joe Utter Aug 1, 2018 Updated 14 hrs ago
MOSES LAKE – A man was seriously burned in a large explosion inside his tent late Monday night near Moses Lake.
Grant County Sheriff’s Office officials say Brent Anderson, 38, was using butane to either extract THC oil from marijuana or mix marijuana and “dabs” – high concentrations of butane hash oil, inside a tent he lives in on Stone Road Northeast.
Anderson reportedly left the butane on inside his enclosed tent, causing an explosion when he lit a cigarette.
Anderson was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with second-degree burns throughout his body. He remains in serious condition in the intensive care unit at Harborview.
No charges are expected against Anderson.
Explosion inside tent near Moses Lake leaves man with second-degree burns
By Joe Utter Aug 1, 2018 Updated 14 hrs ago
MOSES LAKE – A man was seriously burned in a large explosion inside his tent late Monday night near Moses Lake.
Grant County Sheriff’s Office officials say Brent Anderson, 38, was using butane to either extract THC oil from marijuana or mix marijuana and “dabs” – high concentrations of butane hash oil, inside a tent he lives in on Stone Road Northeast.
Anderson reportedly left the butane on inside his enclosed tent, causing an explosion when he lit a cigarette.
Anderson was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with second-degree burns throughout his body. He remains in serious condition in the intensive care unit at Harborview.
No charges are expected against Anderson.
Smoking is dangerous.
