Los Angeles explosion injuring 11 firefighters being investigated amid finding of butane canisters

The weekend explosion in downtown Los Angeles that injured 11 firefighters is being investigated amid the nearby discovery of canisters of butane, a highly flammable gas.

The explosion and fire Saturday night at a cannabis oil factory shook the neighborhood brought nearly 230 firefighters to the scene.

The nature and cause of the fire are still under investigation, but the business from which it appears to have stemmed is called SmokeTokes, a maker of butane honey oil, which is also called hash oil. 

Liquid butane is used to produce hash oil by passing it through a cannabis plant, effectively extracting the high-inducing hydrophobic compounds (THC), which are then run through a filter to create the final product. Hash oil, sometimes referred to as “dabs,” “honeycomb,” and “wax,” is a highly potent form of cannabis. The oil is also sometimes used in vape pens and edibles.

“The cause is of great concern to us and is under active investigation,” said the Los Angeles Fire Department.