Hash Oil Blamed In Another Home Explosion
BAILEY, Colo. (CBS4) – A hash oil explosion is to blame for a blaze near Bailey that sent three people to the hospital, according to investigators.
The fire broke out around 9 p.m. Friday night at a home on South Ridge Road.
Escape route tape lined the property perimeter Saturday as neighbors recalled the flames that shot into the night sky.
"I just happened to glance up, and sure enough, the top of the hill was on fire," said Gene Calhoun, who lives nearby.
Some nearby residents were forced to evacuate as firefighters arrived on scene to douse the flames.
CBS4's Melissa Garcia spoke with neighbors who felt saddened in learning the suspected cause.
"It's shocking. I can't believe it," said Deb Cato. "We moved up here to get away from all this stuff, and it blows you away."
Cato said she had always admired the nearby home for its beauty that was now charred.
Authorities said that the blaze injured two men and one woman in their 20s who were inside the home at the time of the explosion.
"It's very sad that people do these kinds of things and put themselves in a position where this kind of stuff can happen to them," Cato said. "It's heartbreaking."
Friday's explosion was not the only hash oil incident in recent memory.
On Monday, a house near 7th Avenue and King Street in Denver partially collapsed after an explosion linked to butane hash oil.
Just a few days earlier, hazmat crews searched a home on St. Paul Street and Colorado Avenue and found substances used to make meth along with equipment often used for marijuana oil extraction.
Last month, an explosion that officials say was most likely caused by hash oil blew a hole through a home in Lafayette.
"The way that's happening these days, I'm not really surprised," said Calhoun.
According to an official with the Park County Sheriff's Office, the three residents who were injured in Friday's explosion were listed in serious condition at hospital burn units. They were expected to survive.
Charges were pending a criminal investigation.
Melissa Garcia has been reporting for CBS4 News since March 2014. Find her bio here, follow her on Twitter @MelissaGarciaTV, or send your story idea to mkgarcia@cbs.com.
