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Illicit drug lab may have caused explosive fire in Wildomar

Published July 19, 2017 8:03 PM

An explosion at a suspected illicit butane honey oil lab may be the cause of an intense blaze in Wildomar that left one victim with burns over 40% of their body.

The Riverside Sheriff’s Office Marijuana Enforcement team was on the scene of the fire Wednesday. Butane cans were seen in front of the burned home.

The fire broke out just after 6:30 Wednesday morning in a home on East Harvest Way. That house is destroyed, according to CALFire/Riverside County Fire Department.

Another home was exposed to the heat and flames and was moderately damaged. Three adults and a child were displaced in that home.

The fire comes just one day after Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin launched a public awareness campaign against what he calls a “potentially deadly epidemic.”

Honey oil is a marijuana derivative that, when produced with butane gas, has triggered destructive fires and left people with serious burns.

Butane honey oil — BHO — labs are illegal, but have sprung up in both remote and heavily populated areas of Riverside County.

The DA’s new campaign features a fire that happened in 2015 in Palm Springs.

Two people seriously hurt in that fire speak out about their experiences in videos produced by the DA’s office.

WATCH: Butane Honey Oil dangers

“The videos are an effort to educate people about the extreme danger and prevent BHO lab explosions that can severely injure, maim, or even kill those doing the extraction or innocent victims in the area, the DA’s office said in a statement.