WEED OIL CHEF BOTCHED BREW

An explosion in a Killarney home initially thought to contain a
methamphetamine lab was instead set ablaze by a careless chef trying to
cook up a batch of potent weed oil. The smell of smoke mixed with the aroma
of marijuana still wafted through the southwest Calgary neighbourhood
yesterday, hours after the $250,000 fire at the home at 2616 24 St.

Neighbours were startled by a loud noise about 9:20 p.m. Monday.

"It was a very loud boom -- it sounded like something fell from the sky and
hit the roof," said Connie Loveday, who lives with a roommate next door to
the dope house.

At least one man had been inside the three-bedroom bungalow trying to cook
the pot to condense the THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, from the weed.

"What the (drug cookers) do is soak the (marijuana) leaf and buds in
isolpropyl alcohol to leech the THC out of the plant," said Sgt. Roger
Morrison of the drug unit.

The tricky part is when the weed is taken out of the mix, the alcohol must
also be removed and the quickest way to do that is to heat the mixture.

The ensuing vapours are so strong, a spark can cause an explosion, and
that's what police believe happened.