Santa Rosa Butane Hash Oil Lab Fire Was Inside Local Paint Shop

SANTA ROSA - The Santa Rosa police and fire departments are investigating a fire Tuesday that started in a butane hash oil lab located in a building that houses a painting company.

Police and firefighters responded to the fire at A-1 Top Quality Painting at 3158 Condo Court in northwest Santa Rosa around 3:40 p.m. and discovered the lab when the fire was extinguished.

Police Lt. Mike Lazzarini said occupants of the building appeared to try to put out the fire but were not still at the scene when police and firefighters arrived.

"We're still looking for the people responsible for the fire and are trying to identify who was present at the time. We're concerned some people were injured," Lazzarini said Thursday morning.

There were hundreds of pounds of marijuana used in the highly flammable manufacture of hash oil in the building, Lazzarini said.

The fire started in an extraction processing area located on the first floor of the building that had offices in front and a warehouse in the back, police said.

Police are investigating whether A-1 Top Quality Painting was a legitimate business, Lazzarini said. The company's website says it has been in business 30 years and only employs only journeymen housepainters to assure the quality of its work.

The business is near the North Valley special education school for grades 1-12 at 3164 Condo Court. The school was occupied by staff only on Tuesday, police said.

The fire started in an area containing hot plates, electric heaters for liquids and other cooking equipment, Santa Rosa Assistant Fire Marshal Paul Lowenthal said.

The cooking area comprised a "significant area of the building," Lowenthal said. Around 10,000 butane canisters about 8 inches long were removed from the building.

"There was a significant effort to put out the fire but it was unsuccessful," he said.

The fire caused damage estimated at more than $200,000, police said.

-Bay City News, image via Santa Rosa police