Fire in former marijuana dispensary uncovers possible butane honey oil lab in Anaheim

ANAHEIM – A fire at a former marijuana dispensary was quickly extinguished Tuesday night, Oct. 30, and uncovered a possible butane honey oil extraction lab, fire officials said.

Smoke was reported coming from a one-story commercial building at Euclid Street and Cris Avenue at around 9:24 p.m., said Sgt. Daron Wyatt, spokesman for Anaheim’s fire and police departments.

“When units actually tried to force entry, they discovered fortifications to the doors and the windows,” Wyatt said. “When they got inside, they saw a small fire.”

Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze but inside discovered what appeared to be a butane honey oil extraction lab.

Butane is highly flammable and used in the process of extracting THC, the intoxicant in marijuana, from the plant’s leaves, stems and seeds.

The building had been visited multiple times before by authorities for allegedly illegal operating a marijuana dispensary.

“This location has been shut down several times,” Wyatt said. “We shut them down again, red-tagged it, took some people to jail but they continue to back and operate these facilities. They’re illegal.”

Nobody was inside the structure at the time, and no injuries were reported.