Fire Chief: Explosive House Fire Caused by Men 'Cooking Marijuana'

A house fire Sunday that erupted that cause an explosion and severely injured three men was apparently caused by a butane burner used by the men to cook marijuana, a fire official told Patch.

Monrovia Fire Chief Christopher Donovan said the men were cooking marijuana in a back room at a home in the 200 block of East Walnut Avenue when the fire erupted.

"What we gather is they were cooking the marijuana down into what they call honey oil," Donovan said. "They had a small explosion in the back room which literally lifted the ceiling off the room."

Honey oil is the "concentrated liquid essence of marijuana," according to Cannibus Culture Magazine.

Three men in the room at the time suffered critical burns and were transported to Huntington Memorial Hospital where they remain in critical condition, Donovan said. Two other residents in the front of the home were able to evacuate without injury, he said.

A hazardous materials unit was brought in from Burbank to examine the scene because firefighters didn't know what was inside the home.

"...We didn't know if this was a meth lab or if there were other types of chemicals," Donovan said.

A fire investigator from the Pasadena Fire Department was called in to investigate the blaze and the official cause hasn't been determined, Donovan said.

"It sure appears as if the fire started from the use of the butane in that room," Donovan said.