Solos Extract Co. in Sand Springs, Okla., after an explosion (KOKI).
The owner of an Oklahoma THC extraction company is actively trying to avoid arrest after a “massive explosion” inside his facility killed two men, authorities say.
Ryan Bassham is facing two counts of first-degree murder, court records say.
The Sand Springs Fire Department responded around 1 a.m. to a fire at 421 S. Lincoln Ave. When they arrived, heavy flames were erupting out of the building, which is in an industrial complex. One person was pronounced dead on scene while paramedics rushed another man to the hospital where he died.
Authorities with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation are leading the probe.
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
According to the Tulsa World, the explosion was chemically related. The fire marshal told the outlet that he ordered the business to cease operations last week because of a failed fire inspection.
“He basically told them they weren’t allowed to work until they fixed the discrepancies that he listed and they have not done that up to this point,” Sand Springs Deputy Police Chief Todd Enzbrenner told the newspaper.
The name of the business is Solos Extract Co., per the newspaper. It was using highly flammable gases such as butane or propane to extract the THC.
Local Fox KOKI reporter Devyn Lyon reported that one of the employees of the company was living in the building and was killed when the explosion occurred. Cops have yet to identify the two victims.
The blast damaged at least 25 other businesses and could be felt up to 30 miles away, per local NBC affiliate KJRH. Photos from the scene showed the warehouse decimated with debris scatted throughout the property.
“I was scared to death, I didn’t know what had happened,” a neighbor said. “The whole roof is blown off on half of that building. It looks like somebody peeled a banana.”
Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler told the TV station that authorities believe he is on the run.
“We have reason to believe he may be attempting to avoid arrest,” he said. “If anyone has knowledge as to his whereabouts, contact local law enforcement.”
The post THC extraction company allegedly ignored fire marshal warning before ‘massive explosion’ killed 2 people — owner charged with murder first appeared on Law & Crime.
