Neighboring residents react to fire and explosion at Cannabis Business in Palm Desert
It’s been quite the clean up after a fire and explosion broke out last night at a cannabis business in Palm Desert.
Firefighters were called to the building off Dinah Shore Drive, just East of Monterey shortly after 8 p.m. Tuesday night.
The scene remained active well into Wednesday morning with two smoking hot spots breaking out on the roof of the building.
Fire crews remained on the scene throughout the morning to monitor the building for those hot spots. As of 4 a.m. our crews saw the cannabis building break out in smoke twice, leading fire crews to respond quickly, managing to put out the smoke.
It’s not just fire crews that are on the scene, since last night business owners and residents saw the neighboring cannabis business go up in flames.
Custom Care Solutions owner, Mandy Calvano shared surveillance video that was taken just seconds after she heard an explosion. It captured heaps of ash from the cannabis business covering the camera.
"I think the city of Palm Desert needs to be a little bit more responsible. When we built our building, the amount of inspections we had to go through just to be able to open our doors was insane. And I respect that because it makes us safe. But what good is that if my neighbors aren't safe? What good is it if, as an owner of a building, I have to go through all that, but a lessee does not," said Calvano.
Several neighboring residents are concerned, many of them asking how a business with such risks was allowed to operate in this plaza.
"I noticed there was no sign on the building whatsoever," said Dom Calvano, co-owner of Custom Care Solutions. "The windows were completely tinted. You never knew what was going on. But the stench was horrible...like a skunk."
CAL Fire Riverside County Fire officials also confirmed the roof of the building collapsed overnight, not allowing fire crews to enter the building.
Fire crews have also said marijuana is surrounding the perimeter of the building, and they have confirmed some of the tanks outside of this building are in fact butane.
A cause of the fire has not yet been identified, as this is an active investigation. Stay with News Channel 3 for the latest developments.
