Processing Marijuana With Butane Sparked Fire That Destroyed Home

Authorities say a flash fire that destroyed a mobile home on July 10 in Ypsilanti Township was ignited by a buildup of butane used to process marijuana. The fire was the second in three days believed to be related to the use of butane for marijuana processing. The fire broke out around 2 a.m. July 10 in the 9000 block of Joan Circle in the Lakeview mobile home park. Flames were shooting from the trailer when firefighters arrived. The residents had fled. Ypsilanti Township Fire Chief Eric Copeland said a man at the home was cooking marijuana into hash oil with a torch on a skillet in an enclosed area. Copeland said the gas is heavier than air and builds up just above the floor, so it can easily ignite. According to a fire inspection report by Fire Marshal Vic Chevrette, the man who ignited the fire initially declined to tell authorities what happened because of the presence of Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department deputies. Once officials told him that an explanation was for the safety of firefighters still on the scene, the man asked to speak to firefighters in private, the report stated. “While attempting to make hash oil from marijuana plant products, he was using butane as part of the process,” Chevrette wrote. “He was using a steel water bottle to heat up the product over the stove and a flash fire occurred.” StonerNation

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