Man gets probation for honey oil explosion that injured several firefighters in Indio

A man in a father-son duo was sentenced to two years probation today for his role in running an illegal marijuana extraction operation inside their Indio home, sparking a fire that led to an explosion that injured several firefighters.   

Javriel Rodriguez Ochoa, 64, and Alexander Samuel Ochoa, 37, entered guilty pleas in January at the Larson Justice Center in Indio to felony counts of manufacturing phenylacetone and causing a fire resulting in great bodily injury, in addition to four sentencing enhancements and a misdemeanor of marijuana possession for sale.

It's all for operating a honey oil laboratory inside a home on Long Cove Drive, which blew up in September 2019.

Four firefighters and one person were injured in the incident.

Alexander Ochoa was sentenced to three years in prison on Aug. 2, while Javriel Ochoa was granted 24 months of formal probation Friday, according to Thalia Hayden of the Riverside County District Attorney's office.   

According to Cal Fire Capt. Kelly Becker, firefighters were sent to the Long Cove Drive address on Sept. 21, 2019, on a house fire call.   

During the firefight, an explosion occurred in the garage, with five firefighters blown from a hallway to the kitchen area.

Becker testified during a preliminary hearing that the fire was most likely due to a spark caused by a hot-water heater coming into contact with vaporized ignitable liquids floating around the air. Becker hypothesized that the flames then interacted with multiple 55-gallon drums of flammable solvents inside the garage, causing the explosion.   

Riverside County firefighter Travis Ames testified that he was conducting search-and-rescue efforts inside the home when he heard the explosion.

"I saw orange and the next thing I know, I was being drug out the front door,'' said Ames, who was taken to a hospital for treatment of a concussion.

According to a declaration in support of an arrest warrant, three other firefighters suffered second-degree burns, and another suffered first-degree burns to his face and neck. The defendants also suffered minor injuries.   

Honey oil, also known as hash oil, is a concentrated substance derived from marijuana plants. The substance is often manufactured using butane, although the Ochoas allegedly used both hexane and ethanol, which are also flammable liquids, in addition to butane. Investigators found all three chemicals at the property, according to Becker.   

Following the fire, authorities served a search warrant at the house and discovered 113 pounds of processed honey oil inside a refrigerator along with more than 650 pounds of marijuana trimmings inside trash bags, multiple 55-gallon drums of flammable liquid in the backyard, and other barrels -- at least one of which was melted -- inside the garage, according to court papers.   

Neither defendant had previous documented felony convictions in Riverside County.