Residents react to explosion and fire at Palm Desert cannabis business

Residents and business owners near the scene of a fire caused by an explosion at a cannabis processing business are sharing their frustrations.

Mark Gregg, whose business is in the same commercial strip mall as the cannabis business, posted the following statement regarding the incident on social media:

"The city of Palm Desert allows this in zones where the public does business. It looks like a war zone. Hashish is flowing in the gutters. The initial explosion could have cost lives and the subsequent fire put hard-working citizens out of business...We had clients in the studio when the building next door violently exploded and burned all night. With massive amounts of butane tanks stacked up outside." -Mark Gregg, owner of 3M Studios.

Gregg and others who have been affected by the fire are now looking for answers about how it started and whether the cannabis business was operating and processing their products legally.

News Channel 3's Tatum Larsen is speaking with affected business owners and residents and has reached out to the City of Palm Desert for more information.

Watch News Channel 3 at 4 p.m., 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. for more.