Evidence at the scene showed the shop was being used to process butane hash oil
An explosion Wednesday night that led to a structure fire was found to be a disaster at an illegal butane hash oil lab after an investigation, the Lane County Sheriff’s Office said.
The LCSO said deputies responded to a report of multiple explosions at a property on Place Road near Lowell on January 12. Deputies said that when they arrived, they found a shop at the back of the property was engulfed in flames. Firefighting crews responding to the scene had the situation under control however, and were able to put out the fire before it spread to nearby properties and forest, according to deputies.
When the fire was put out, LCSO deputies said evidence at the scene showed the shop was being used to process butane hash oil. LCSO officials said a search warrant executed in the afternoon of January 12 found large amounts of marijuana and equipment used to manufacture butane hash oil in a different building on the property. According to the LCSO, clandestine labs pose a danger to their communities because of the volatile and poisonous chemicals they contain, and had this lab exploded in drier weather the fire would have likely spread and caused a catastrophe.
The LCSO said the owner of the property, Danny Billows Jr., 51, is facing charges of unlawful manufacture of marijuana and reckless endangering. The Oregon State Fire Marshall’s Office and Lane County Land Management Division are also investigating the case.
Tags: BHO Lab Clandestine Lab Marijuana
