The Associated Press COTTONWOOD, Calif. — A Northern California man suffered burns to his face and hands in an explosion at his home while he was allegedly making hash oil from marijuana, authorities said. Jeffrey Isaiah Bolds, 22, of Cottonwood, Calif., received second- and third-degree burns in Monday's blast, said Sgt. Les James of the Shasta Interagency Narcotics Task Force.
The damage was mostly confined to Bolds' bedroom, James said. A 17-year-old girl and her 2-month-old infant who were in the house were unharmed, and the infant was later placed into protective custody with Shasta County Children and Family Services, authorities said.
At the time of the explosion, Bolds was using flammable liquids to extract hash oil, James said.
The oil is made from loose marijuana leaf and stem pieces often thrown out because of their poor quality. The weed crumbs are packed into a pipe and butane is poured through it.
Heat is used to separate the butane, and what's left is the oil. But without good ventilation, the vapors can build up and pose an unseen and dangerous threat because they don't dissipate quickly.
An open flame, static electricity or anything that can spark the gas could lead to an explosion.
The U.S. Fire Administration - a division of the Federal Emergency Management Agency - noted in a February bulletin that the number of hash oil explosions is increasing.
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