UPDATE: Man arrested following butane hash oil explosion
A Colorado Springs man is behind bars following a significant explosion and fire.
Police say Thomas Chmielewski was in the process of extracting marijuana concentrate using butane when the explosion and fire occurred on Sunday. Officers say it happened in the kitchen of the residence, located on the 2500 block of San Marcos Drive.
Chmielewski has been arrested and booked into the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center.
Police are advising caution: The number of hash oil explosions in Colorado has nearly tripled in the first year of the legalization of marijuana.
There were 32 reported explosions in 2014, versus 12 in 2013.
