MAN BURNED 75 PERCENT OF HIS BODY

Meth Lab Suspected In Rockbridge Explosion

ROCKBRIDGE- One man was burned severely Wednesday night after an
explosion and fire ripped through a garage in Rockbridge that
authorities said was being used to house an illegal methamphetamine laboratory.

Hocking County Sheriff Lanny North said that when Good Hope Fire
Department personnel arrived at the home on Main Street, they found a
working fire and a male victim with burns covering 75 percent of his body.

"All the appearances are that this was a meth lab," he said Wednesday
night. "We are waiting for the site to cool down so we go inside and
actually search." Eric Brown, commander of the Fairfield-Hocking
Major Crimes Unit, said his team was called to the scene to
investigate because of its focus on illegal drugs and special training.

"It's a puzzle," Brown said. "The best indication was (that) yes
there was an active cook going on and it exploded"

He also said the sheriff's office received anonymous calls after the
explosion stating that the garage was used as a meth lab.

In a house next to the fire, Anne Covert said she and her husband
smelled the smoke but thought it was the common smell of someone
burning their trash.

"We saw the fire department go (down the alley), and we came out
here," Covert said. "The next thing we know, some guy is walking
through the smoke and he's burned."

She said her husband called 911 as he tried to help the victim.

North said the victim was taken by helicopter to Ohio State
University Medical Center in Columbus. His identity has not been released.

Meth labs pose a significant danger to the surrounding area, Brown
said. "There's a lot of risk involved in these things."

The danger stems from the threat of explosion and fire as well as
exposure to liquid chemicals and dangerous fumes.

Brown said the investigation was expected to go late into Wednesday night.

"When the fire department clears, my agents will suit up," he said.
"They go in and start assessing what's inside that rubble as far as
what chemicals do we have? What type of lab was it?"