PD seeks charges in butane honey oil lab explosion, fire

Photo courtesy of Riverside County Fire Department

The Menifee Police Department will request that the District Attorney file criminal charges related to the explosion at a butane honey oil lab that caused a barn fire in Menifee Tuesday night.

An adult male is hospitalized in serious condition with burns suffered in the explosion and fire, Menifee PD Captain Dave Gutierrez said today. When the suspect is taken into custody, he will face charges related to manufacturing at a honey oil lab, which is a felony.

The Riverside County Fire Department received the report of a fire in the 33000 block of Nancy Lane at 5:05 p.m. Tuesday, according to Cal Fire. Firefighters arrived to discover a storage structure on fire with about 900 bales of hay burning. A residence on the property was not damaged  and no one other than the suspect was injured, Gutierrez said.

"The fire department contacted us and said that based on conversations they had and things they observed, it appeared there was the possibility of a BHO lab there,” Gutierrez said. “We requested the county’s marijuana enforcement team to begin an investigation. Ultimately, that was confirmed.”

In a BHO lab, butane is used to separate THC from the marijuana plant, producing a pure extract used to enhance the potency of marijuana. Gutierrez said that in smaller labs, marijuana leaves are placed in pipes and butane is run through a hole in the top of the pipe to separate the THC from the rest of the plant.

“This was an unfortunate incident,” Gutierrez said. “Obviously it’s a crime, but beyond that, these things are very dangerous. Because you’re using butane, if you’re anywhere near a flammable source, you’ve got major problems. In this case, it appears there was an explosion related to the BHO lab which ignited a nearby large stack of hay bales.”

Gutierrez said investigators served a search warrant at a residence on the property and some firearms were seized from the house. The homeowner was cooperating with the investigation, which is ongoing. The suspect is “associated with the residence”, but it has not been determined whether he lives on site. His name has not been released.

“Investigators have to determine whether he was associated with the firearms, and other factors,” Gutierrez said. “The investigation is a challenge because of the fire. You can’t really get in there and see everything you want to see because the fire destroyed some of it.”

Menifee City Council member Matt Liesemeyer, who represents the district in which the fire occurred, said as soon as he saw the report stating the presence of a BHO lab, he requested that the Menifee PD seek charges.

"These honey oil labs pose a significant danger to the public safety of the residents of our City and I have zero tolerance for this activity," Liesemeyer said in an email to Menifee 24/7. "Furthermore, if neighboring residents know of these types of illegal activities and do not report it, in my own opinion, they are just as guilty. We must work together to keep the criminal element out of Menifee and protect our residents."