Downtown Los Angeles was the scene of a hash oil explosion in May that injured firefighters and started a fire that spread to nearby structures, and authorities suspect foul play.

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) have launched a criminal investigation into the incident that began at a SmokeTokes facility for butane cannabis extraction in the Toy District of LA. Firefighters initially thought they were dealing with a normal fire, since the facility did not seem to have a cannabis extraction permit on file with the city, nor an application for one, so there would be little reason to suspect this at first.

Firefighters caught on that this was no ordinary fire when they got to the roof, and one firefighter noticed a great deal of heat and pressure coming from the back of the structure. He immediately called everyone to clear out, but only a few moments later, the hash oil lab exploded and columns of fire blasted out 30 feet high. Some of the firefighters caught fire while escaping the building, causing injury, melting helmets, and burning their protective gear. Luckily, all firefighters survived and are expected to recover fully.

Due to the nature of the fire, over 200 firefighters showed up to battle and contain the flames.

Regulated facilities are required to have safety placards outside a business to warn emergency responders about what’s inside, but no such sign was seen. It appears that while SmokesTokes was a registered business, it was not registered as a cannabis business. Instead, it is an LLC that is listed as selling smoking and tobacco accessories. On their website, it showed dab and vaporizer tools for sale, as well as butane torches. It isn’t clear if the company was allowed to sell butane, as the city and state have strict regulations on this volatile substance.

While that likely means heavy fines and penalties from the city, that also means that if they had insurance coverage for the building, the carrier is unlikely to cover the massive damages from this fire. Although a company could have plausibly obtained insurance coverage if they lied to their carrier about the nature of their business, they would not be able to make a successful claim. To obtain cannabis insurance, a business must be properly licensed and have an in-depth discussion with their insurance agent about what the policy covers, what the exclusions are, and the requirements for maintaining coverage.

Emergency exits, for example, are a safety element that need to be maintained and kept clear at all times. Firefighters were forced to take an electric saw to the metal security doors just to enter the building. After the explosion, firefighters could be seen hurrying down ladders with their protective suits ablaze. Nearly a dozen suffered second degree burns.

The criminal investigation to determine if this was arson is still ongoing. There have been no reports of repercussions for SmokesTokes as of yet, and they have not been taking calls from media outlets.

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