Explosion and Fire at Marijuana Extraction Facility

Oak Cliff Fire responded to reports of an explosion and subsequent fire at a commercial building in southern Logan County late Thursday afternoon.

Initial calls on the blaze came in just after 4:00pm, for a building on South Sooner Road, slightly off the road in an industrial building park just north of Charter Oak Road. Units from Edmond Fire and Deer Creek Fire were later called in to assist with the blaze.

James Fullingim, Assistant State Fire Marshal, stated that the building was a commercial marijuana extraction facility. “They were also growing some marijuana but it was primarily an extraction facility.: “They were using liquified petroleum gas in the extraction process, and they were using non-intrinsically safe electrical equipment. When you turn on a light switch, sometimes you’ll see that spark as it actuates, that’s not intrinsically safe. So we were able to determine that they were using equipment that likely created a spark and set off their liquified petroleum gas” that they were using as part of their processing, he further explained.

Additionally, personnel from the Logan County Sheriff ’s Office, Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority, and the Oklahoma Liquified Petroleum Gas Administration responded to assist with the investigation.

“We determined that they did not have proper licensing and permits for their building, they were in a non-compliant building” for their use, Fullingim said. It was also determined that the owner did not have necessary medical marijuana permits.

Two men were transported to an Oklahoma City hospital with extensive severe burns; both remain in serious condition at this time.

The News Leader will provide additional updates to this story as events warrant.