Home-based Spice Lab Explosion Shakes Quiet Neighborhood

An sent one man to the hospital and resulted in the evacuation of several homes surrounding the property after first responders discovered what deputies are calling a home-based synthetic marijuana lab. 

The Pasco Sheriff's Office received a call at 6:50 p.m. indicating that a water heater had exploded in the garage of a home at 24349 Breezy Oak Court in the Oak Grove subdivision.

Instead, deputies found a stockpile of chemicals and packaging similar to that used for synthetic marijuana products found in convenience stores, Lt. Chuck Balderstone of the Pasco Sheriff's Vice and Narcotics Unit said.

A large quantity of finished product was found, along with acetone and other chemicals that cannot be identified until tested by a lab, Balderstone said.

The explosion blew the garage door onto the driveway of a home across the street.

A man found with burn injuries at the residence was taken by Bay Flight to Tampa General Hospital. The man, whose name is not being released, was the only person in the home when deputies arrived, Balderstone said.

His condition is unknown at this time, Balderstone said.

Hazmat and Vice and Narcotics investigators were called to the scene after the chemicals were discovered by first responders. Some homes in the immediate area were evacuated as a precaution, Balderstone said.

With all of the unknown chemicals in the residence, investigators are treating it as a clandestine lab, he said. He expected the on-scene investigation to continue into the early morning hours Wednesday.

Nearby resident Michele Runyon wasn't home when the explosion occured, but said others she spoke to indicated their houses shook with the blast.

"Nothing ever happens in this neighborhood," Runyon said. "This is crazy, though."

Synthetic marijuana, also known as spice, is sold legally, because despite legislation passed to ban certain ingredients, manaufacturers continue to change the substances used in the product to skirt the law,

"That's the scary thing, they're producing this stuff in neighborhoods," Balderstone said. "They put a lot of people in danger with what they're doing."

Lab testing will determine if any of the chemicals found at the home are illegal substances, according to the sheriff's office. No arrests have been made at this time.

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