Tulare County Sheriff’s deputies seized about 105 pounds of processed marijuana and nine illegal guns after a house exploded in Woodville on Saturday afternoon.
According to Tulare County fire investigators, a butane honey oil operation ignited the explosion.
Honey Oil Lab Dangers
Honey oil labs are dangerous because they extract concentrated THC from marijuana using butane, a flammable odorless gas. Common household features such as a wall outlet, a refrigerator motor, or even static electricity can ignite butane vapors and cause an explosion.
Due to the severity of their burns, two of the home’s residents — Clyde Gilbert, 57, and his son, Clint Gilbert, 37 — were airlifted to a Fresno hospital for further treatment. They initially sought treatment at Kaweah Health Medical Center in Visalia, deputies said.
Two Arrests Made
The sheriff’s office said that detectives determined that Shane Gilbert, 32, and Randall Gilbert, 26, were illegally manufacturing firearms (ghost guns) without serial numbers. Shane and Randall are also Clyde Gilbert’s sons and live at the house in the 16800 block of Claremont Street in Woodville.
Shane Gilbert and Randal Gilbert were arrested on numerous gun charges, deputies said.
Investigators said they will wait until the health of Clyde and Clint Gilbert improves before determining whether they should also be arrested.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office at (559) 733-6218.
