Possible drug lab explosion blows roof off Inland Empire home, injuring 2 people

MORENO VALLEY, Calif. (KABC) -- An explosion in the Moreno Valley neighborhood in the Inland Empire blew the roof off a home and left two people injured.

According to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, it was a drug lab that blew up inside the garage of the home.

"Just a big blast, boom, yeah. It kind of rattled the house a bit, and I could feel it inside me," said neighbor Yolanda Ramirez.

Ramirez lives next door to the home that exploded. It happened around 10:30 a.m. on Pattilynn Drive, near the intersection of Allessandro and Frederick.

"I didn't even think of what it could be until I looked through the window and saw smoke, and then I came out and asked the neighbor, 'Are you guys OK?' and they said, 'Yeah, we're fine,'" Ramirez said.

The people who were inside the garage of the home suffered what the fire department calls moderate-to-major burn injuries and were taken to the hospital.

Eyewitness News crews at the scene saw pressurized equipment inside the garage with multiple tanks.

"There was smoke coming out of the garage, and the side of the wall did pop out because of the explosion," Said Karina Espinoza with CalFire Riverside County Fire Department.

"I mean, I don't even know what the heck it was, I can't even guess, but it's like too close to home, it's scary," Ramirez said. "Thank God we're OK and everything is fine."

According to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, the people inside the home were likely operating a butane honey oil lab -- which is used to concentrate cannabis -- when something exploded.

A number of dogs were removed from the home, officials said. They're expected to be OK.

"No one else was affected, RSO, as a precaution, did evacuate some of the homes nearby, but no one else was affected," Espinoza said. "Currently, it's still under investigation, but we did request hazmat out here on scene due to the explosion."

Eyewitness News Reporter Rob McMillan spoke to several neighbors who said they know who lives inside the home, but they don't recognize the two people who were hurt.