No Arrests Yet, But Hash Oil Suspected Of Causing House Explosion
LAFAYETTE, Colo. (CBS4) - No arrests have been made after a Lafayette house explosion that was most likely caused by a hash oil extraction lab, but investigators say that's essentially because of the residents of the home are still in the hospital.
The explosion on Wednesday blew a hole directly through the home and severely injured two people inside.
"We're not sure if it was legal or illegal.. if they had medical marijuana cards," said Lafayette police spokesman Brian Rosipajla.
The house on the 1000 block of Modred Street is likely to be condemned and is now the center of a criminal investigation.
Police said they were immediately suspicious about the explosion and fire that resulted from it. They say it was likely caused by the residents making hash oil.
Unregulated hash oil extraction is a highly dangerous process. To get THC rich marijuana into an oil, the cooks use highly combustible butane where the margin for error is razor thin and the consequences for misuse can be deadly.
"I'm not really sure what happened still. The damage looks really bad," said Jackie Porter, who lives in the neighborhood.
Neighbors were stunned by the blast and by the extended follow up as crews tried to shut down at-risk gas lines. Some helped relatives clean up without knowing police had launched a criminal investigation into the explosion.
"Neighbors did say people were coming and going from that house and working in the garage so there were possible signs that something was going on in that neighborhood," Rosipajla told CBS4.
A dog was also injured by the fire but was treated by emergency responders and is apparently okay.
