2 firefighters injured in explosion at illegal pot operation

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Two firefighters were injured in an explosion during a fire at an illegal marijuana extract operation hidden at a commercial building in Southern California, authorities said.

The blast occurred while fire crews were battling the blaze Sunday at the single-story structure in Anaheim, fire officials said.

One firefighter suffered minor burns to his face, said Anaheim Fire & Rescue spokesman Stephen Peña. The other hurt his back when he was knocked back several feet by the explosion and fell onto his oxygen tank, he said. Both are expected to recover.

Firefighters rescued one person in the building who was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to the Orange County Register.

A 37-year-old man found uninjured at the scene of the fire was arrested on suspicion of producing a controlled substance and crimes related to the fire, Peña said.

The man told authorities he had been in the unit that caught fire, and that a concentrated extract of marijuana known as honey oil was being produced inside, the Register reported. Flammable chemicals like butane are often used to make the substance.

The fire spread to other parts of the building, Peña said. Two people in an adjacent unit that was damaged took themselves to a nearby hospital with unspecified injuries.