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3 Men Hurt In Explosion Caused By THC Extraction Fail
Photo by jasonawhite via Flickr
In yet another case of THC extraction endeavor gone awry, three men were sent to the hospital following an explosion and fire in Monrovia Sunday.
The three men, in their 20s, were working to extract the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana inside a home on the 200 block of East Walnut Avenue early Sunday morning when they unintentionally set off a blast that triggered a fire, and even lifted the ceiling off the room in which they were hard at work, according to City News Service.
Monrovia Police Sgt. Nick Manfredi elaborates on the victims' specific undertaking: "We believe the burn victims were using butane to make Butane Honey Oil extract, the THC from marijuana plants."
Manfredi points out that the "real danger" in THC extraction is the butane, because it is so flammable. "`Any open flame in the immediate area can cause an explosion," he adds.
Tasks like THC extraction are often performed by regular folks who are "not chemists," notes Manfredi. " They have no formal training. They are not in the right environment. They experiment with a very dangerous routine."
In this case, the three men suffered critical burns. Two other occupants of the house who were unaware of the marijuana-related effort going on at the time were not injured.
Last week, a Reseda resident was injured in a garage fire that broke out while they were attempting to extract THC from marijuana.
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