Suspected hash-oil explosion leaves man badly burned
A 22-year-old Northern California man was severely burned in an explosion sparked while he was using a flammable substance allegedly to make hash oil from marijuana, authorities said Tuesday afternoon.
Jeffrey Isaiah Bolds sustained second- and-third-degree burns on his face and hands when the explosion tore through his home in Cottonwood, according to the Shasta County Interagency Narcotics Task Force. A 2-month-old baby and a 17-year-old girl were in another room but were not injured.
The blast was suspected to be the third hash-oil explosion in the last calendar year in Shasta County, authorities said. Cottonwood is about 150 miles north of Sacramento.
Bolds was allegedly using butane to extract oil from marijuana leaves, also known as “shake,” a process that emits highly flammable vapors, said Sgt. Les James, commander of the task force.
“All it takes is a spark,” James told The Times. “It’s a strange science.”
James said investigators found about a dozen empty butane canisters in the home, as well as marijuana leaves and hash oil, also known as “honey oil.”
Bolds was hospitalized Tuesday afternoon. The infant was placed in protective custody with county officials.
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