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Crystal house explosion caused by man attempting to extract marijuana oil, search warrant says

"I was cooking some stuff I shouldn't have been," the homeowner said to an officer, who noticed a butane torch through the blow-open door.

CRYSTAL, Minn — The explosion over the weekend was loud.

"It shook the house. I was inside the kitchen and it shook," said neighbor Dennis Wauerflein.

It blew the front door right off a small house, tucked into Perry Street in Crystal. 

And as neighbors gathered, they speculated whether it could be related to some kind of gas leak because of another high-profile incident this year.

"You really don't know when things like that are going to happen," said neighbor Toni Herbst.

But a search warrant filed in Hennepin County reveals the suspected cause involves the homeowner attempting to extract THC oil from marijuana. He has not yet been charged with a crime.

The search warrant says an officer asked him what happened, and he said "I was cooking some stuff I shouldn't have been."

It also says officers could see a butane torch inside the blown open door.

The man was hospitalized with burns suffered in the explosion.

"I don't think there was any thought to the harmful things he was doing," Herbst said.

Minneapolis Fire Assistant Chief Melanie Rucker says manufacturing — or attempting to extract — drugs of any kind inside a residence can have very serious consequences.

"The risk to neighbors, as well as themselves, is extremely high-risk," Rucker said.

Crystal Police and the Fire Marshal are investigating this case, and when finished will turn it over to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office for consideration of charges.

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