Two Firefighters Injured In Butane Honey Oil Lab Fire Near Knott's Berry Farm
ANAHEIM (CBSLA) — At least four people were injured, including two firefighters, in a four-alarm structure fire at an illegal marijuana dispensary in Anaheim, authorities said Sunday.
Anaheim police responded to the fire in the middle of an industrial park on N. Knollwood Circle just after 11:20 a.m. Sunday. The fire was about 1.2 miles away from Knott's Berry Farm.
Neighbors in the area were surprised to learn that the business they suspected to be a t-shirt company, was in fact an illegal marijuana dispensary and butane honey oil extraction laboratory - honey oil is also known as hash oil.
One other person was located with severe burn injuries before being transported to a hospital. Investigators deduced that he was an employee of the laboratory who was inside when the fire erupted.
As firefighters were battling the fire, an explosion occurred. Two firefighters were injured and taken to the hospital in unknown condition, but a report from Sergeant Steve Pena of the Anaheim Police Department indicated that, "it looks like they're going to be okay."
Investigators disclosed the nature of the injuries in regards to both crew members. One of the firefighters is reported to have suffered burns to his face, while the other was blown back by one of the explosions, injuring his back.
Witnesses reported seeing the smoke from miles away, while those at the scene detailed several explosions from within the building, which could be seen via footage obtained by CBS reporters at the scene.
Authorities also took one suspect into custody at the scene of the blaze, where he is reported to be cooperating with the ongoing investigation.
Firefighters from the Orange County Fire Authority, as well as the Orange and Fullerton Fire Departments were on hand to assist with the four-alarm fire.
Footage from the scene at around 6 p.m. showed the shell of what used to be the building with charred surfaces and blown out windows. Crews remained on hand until later in the evening to continue surveillance on the scene and take care of any hotspots that needed to be extinguished.
"It looks like they were doing some sort of honey extraction -- making hash oil; doing a chemical process with marijuana," said Sergeant Pena. "The process that they do to extract the oil from the marijuana, is (using) butane, which is highly flammable and highly explosive."
"It's a very, very dangerous procedure," he continued.
Investigators at the scene also revealed the true danger of the blaze, not only to the firefighters on hand, but to the surrounding businesses and locals who could have been impacted.
"Yeah, it was scary," said Nick Benetti, who lives close to the area where the fire broke out. "We're so close to it, you know?"
Vio Ticora was also in the area, across the street at his brother's business. He detailed the moments that the fire broke out to CBS reporters.
"We were talking inside my brother's business and we heard explosions - one was smaller, then we heard a louder one and a louder one," he said.
Anaheim Fire and Rescue Department reported that the fire had been knocked down as of 1:30 p.m., but crews could be seen as late as 7 p.m. as they continued to monitor the situation due to the immense danger the laboratory remains presents.