Two men, both of whom were severely burned when a suspected drug lab operation in their Walnut Creek apartment caught fire – leveling the apartment in a resultant explosion – have been formally charged with drug manufacturing and unlawfully causing fire resulting in injury.
The pair, Daniel Burgess, 34, of Danville, and William Brown, 37, currently living in
Oakland, were charged with the felonies in November. Arrest warrants were issued for each man with bail set at $700,000.
Police said Burgess turned himself in and is currently out on his own recognizance due to his medical condition. Brown turned himself in Wednesday and was booked at the Martinez Detention Facility.
The explosion and fire occurred at 9:59 a.m. on Oct. 31, 2014 in an apartment complex in the 1500 block of Sunnyvale Avenue. Two men, critically injured and believed to have been inside the apartment when the explosion occurred, were transported via helicopter to the UC Davis Burn Center.
Further investigation determined that Brown and Burgess lived in the second story unit
and were in the process of drug manufacturing by using Butane to extract marijuana/hash oil, also known as a BHO (Butane Honey Oil) lab. The Butane ignited during the process and the subsequent explosion and fire leveled the building.
One nearby resident had minor injuries as a result of the explosion and the two buildings were left uninhabitable.
The two subjects were not identified at the time, police said, due to lengthy hospital stays (5-8 months) and the inability to interview them due to their injuries.
The attached photo of Brown was taken before the explosion, police said.
Ouch!! That could not have been fun when it went off.
eight months in the burn unit. Yow. No thanks.