Explosion rips walls off Spokane Valley mobile home

Firefighters and police responded to a report of an explosion and fireball at a mobile home in the 17500 block of East Sprague around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday. There was very little fire when firefighters arrived. Investigators found evidence that the resident was attempting to transfer propane from a large container into a smaller one, said Spokane Valley Fire Department Fire Marshal Kevin Miller. “Propane is heavier than air so it lays on the floor,” he said. “It found an ignition source and blew the doors off.” A man was inside the mobile home but received only minor injuries. “The guy was very lucky,” Miller said. “He was at the epicenter of the explosion and it kind of went around him.” Police suspected there was drug related activity going on inside the mobile home and got a search warrant, said Spokane County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Deputy Craig Chamberlin. “The north and south walls are completely blown out and just hanging,” he said. “The guys found evidence of a lab. Not a meth lab, but a THC extraction lab.” The process of extracting THC from marijuana into hash oil is hazardous and can lead to explosions. “It’s obviously dangerous,” Chamberlin said. “We’re lucky that no one was killed.” The incident is still under investigation and criminal charges have not yet been filed.