An apartment complex in City Heights was evacuated Friday morning after an explosion that was believed to be tied to hash oil, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.
The explosion occurred before 8:30 a.m. in an apartment of the 18-unit complex on Marlborough Ave near Landis Street but could be heard at least a mile away, one resident told the SDFD.
Firefighters arrived to see one obviously-damaged apartment on the lower level with smoke coming out, but there was no fire to put out, SDFD Battalion Chief Kerry-Shannon Grieser said.
Inside the unit was one person who suffered burn injuries, the fire department said. The individual was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.
"We're investigating right now. We want to see if this is a criminal activity," Grieser said. "It appears that it might be a honey oil operation, where they were cooking honey oil and that's why the explosion occurred."
About two dozen residents, pets and children needed to be evacuated from the building as a precaution, Grieser said. They would not be allowed back in until a structural engineer could ensure the stability of the building. The Red Cross was called to assist residents in the meantime.
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"It's really dangerous. These things, these operations are so volatile," Grieser said. "Even done in a lab with all the right conditions, extremely explosive; very bad idea to try to do it and especially to put yourself and 24 other occupants in danger with this operation."
A Metro Arson Strike Team was conducting the investigation into the incident. A Hazardous Materials team and the Narcotics Task Force were also called to the scene.
Hash oil is an extract created from a concentrated form of marijuana, which can be smoked, vaporized or infused into edibles.
This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available.
