The Anaheim Police Department have offered a reward of $1000 to anyone with information regarding a detached condo that caught fire around 11:40 pm on Wednesday, Jan. 20th on the 2000 block of W. Blue Violet Court in Anaheim.
According to a statement released by Sgt. Daron Wyatt of the Anaheim PD, the Anaheim Fire Department deployed to the scene after receiving several calls about a garage fire. By the time they arrived, the fire had spread into the living quarters of the condo. But after they put out the fire, investigators realized they weren’t dealing with an average structure fire.
Instead, as Sgt. Wyatt’s release reports, the fire investigators on the scene found increasing evidence that led them to believe the condo was being used as an indoor growing facility, as well as an advanced THC (tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive compound in marijuana) extraction site. In other words, the condo was being used to produce Butane Hash Oil (BHO), also known as “wax” or “dabs”. The condo was unoccupied at the time of the fire, and there were no immediate clues as to who is in control of the property. (We reached out to Sgt. Wyatt for a statement, but we never heard back).
Although seemingly harmless to the non-cannabis user, the process of making BHO is a risky process, and if done incorrectly, it can be extremely dangerous. And we’re not talking flammable dangerous—we mean like explosive dangerous. As BHO labs have become popular in California over the last several years, so have BHO horror stories. As a result of its dangerous nature, Governor Brown signed a bill that went into affect on January 1st that makes manufacturing hash oil within 300 feet of an occupied residence or structure an aggravated felony. Thus why the police have offered a $1000 award for anyone who can give them info on who lives and/or owns the property.
The total damages caused by the fire have been estimated at roughly $470,000. An investigation is currently underway to locate those responsible for the fire.
