Long Beach Fire That Killed 2 Cats Blamed on Hash Oil Lab

An explosion and fire that killed two cats at a two- story home in Long Beach was caused by a hash oil lab, and the man accused of operating it was behind bars today, police reported.

Nearly three dozen firefighters who were sent to 250 Belmont Ave. at 2:42 p.m. Wednesday kept the flames from spreading to a neighboring home, said Jake Heflin of the Long Beach Fire Department. It took about 15 minutes to extinguish the blaze, which did a ‘significant amount” of damage to the first floor of the home, he said.

The residents, a 57-year-old man and his 60-year-old wife, were not home at the time, he said.

The man, identified today as Mitchell Maclean, was booked on suspicion of manufacturing a controlled substance and animal cruelty after arson investigators determined he allegedly used explosive butane gas to extract concentrated oil from marijuana at the home.

He was being held at the Long Beach city jail in lieu of $75,000 bail, police said.

Authorities originally reported that two dogs died in the explosion and fire.

--City News Service; Image via Patch Archive

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