Criminal Investigation Launched Following Beaumont Garage Fire

BEAUMONT, CA — A garage fire reported early Tuesday morning in Beaumont undercovered illegal activity, according to the Beaumont Police Department.

The blaze reported at 4:19 a.m. in the 1200 block of Antonell Court was initially thought to be a non-injury incident, but pieces of evidence began falling into place, according to the Beaumont Police Department.

When Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department crews got on scene, they found the detached garage fully engulfed in flames. The blaze was quickly brought under control but firefighters discovered items in the rubble suggesting a butane honey oil lab sparked the fire, according to the police department.

Honey oil is an oleoresin obtained by "cooking" cannabis. Honey oil labs often use butane and a process that is highly flammable and often explosive.

At the start of the fire investigation, it was thought there were no injuries and no one home at the residence.

However, Beaumont police later learned that a 50-year-old man was hospitalized with major burns and that he was at the garage fire. A search warrant was served at the property, and evidence was found connecting the man to the illegal lab, according to Beaumont police.

The man's identity has not been released, but Beaumont police say he will be charged with felony manufacturing of a controlled substance. An update on his condition was not provided.

Beaumont's Building and Safety Department responded to the fire scene and deemed the property uninhabitable due to damage caused by the blaze.