A man has been charged after a house explosion early Friday near 107 St. and 78 Ave. Police say the 31-year-old man was attempting to make hash oil with a dangerous mix of chemicals.
Police received a 911 call around 2 a.m. Friday from neighbours who heard a loud boom.
"You could hear it, you could feel the boom like we were just across the street and you could feel the intensity of the boom. You could hear the glass just explode and you could feel the flames come out," said witness Sabrina Couperthwaite.
Fire officials say there was substantial damage to the basement of the home.
Three people inside the house at the time were not injured.
"The backdoor was blown out and the stairwell going downstairs, the wall was missing -- I saw that before I left the house," said Amos Shaw who rents the home with some friends.
The man is now facing charges of arson and production of a controlled substance. Police don't believe the hash was going to be sold commercially. A damage estimate is pegged at $70,000.
With files from Scott Roberts
