A teenager who police said was cooking hash oil in his Palo Alto apartment was arrested Thursday night after he started a fire that displaced several residents in the apartment complex.
The 17-year-old male, whose identity is not being released because he is a juvenile, was reportedly trying to make hash oil in the kitchen at around 8:40 p.m. Police said he was using the kitchen stove and liquid butane to make the liquid substance, a concentrated form of cannabis that can be smoked or ingested. The teenager briefly left the stove unattended and a fire started, triggering the building's sprinkler system, police said.
The Palo Alto Fire Department received calls from several residents about the fire, but when police officers and firefighters arrived on scene they found that the fire had already been extinguished by the sprinkler system, according to police.
The fire damaged the kitchen but was otherwise contained, police said. Yet both the teenager's apartment and two neighboring apartments sustained major water damage and were deemed uninhabitable for the night. American Red Cross workers helped the residents in the neighboring apartments obtain shelter for the night, police said.
In investigating the fire, police said they determined that once the fire was extinguished, the teen tossed the butane canisters down a nearby trash chute and tried to flush down the toilet a "substantial amount of marijuana."
After paramedics treated him for a burn on his arm, the teenager was cited for one felony count of manufacturing hash oil and one misdemeanor count of destruction of evidence. He was released into the custody of a parent, police said.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the department's 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be emailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voice mail to 650-383-8984.
Comments
Registered user
Community Center
on Jun 26, 2015 at 4:38 pm
Registered user
on Jun 26, 2015 at 4:38 pm
At least he wasn't cooking meth...
Palo Verde
on Jun 26, 2015 at 6:34 pm
on Jun 26, 2015 at 6:34 pm
From what I understand according to the rules, that is grounds for immediate eviction, allowing the next family in line to get one of those apartments.
University South
on Jun 26, 2015 at 9:28 pm
on Jun 26, 2015 at 9:28 pm
This occurred in which apts?
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Jun 26, 2015 at 9:52 pm
on Jun 26, 2015 at 9:52 pm
The next family in line? You must know more than what is published in this article.
Midtown
on Jun 26, 2015 at 10:13 pm
on Jun 26, 2015 at 10:13 pm
This is NOT listed in the PAPD log:
Web Link
The use of this form of concentrated cannabis is a huge problem for local teens.
Palo Verde
on Jun 26, 2015 at 10:15 pm
on Jun 26, 2015 at 10:15 pm
Sometimes you need to read between the lines, but here's the PAPD press release -- Web Link
Palo Verde
on Jun 26, 2015 at 10:22 pm
on Jun 26, 2015 at 10:22 pm
It's in your linked log as incident #150003795 -- 06/25/2015, 20:47,
Ramona St, N&D misc, CT (Misdemeanor Citation)
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Jun 26, 2015 at 11:36 pm
on Jun 26, 2015 at 11:36 pm
OK, so based on the Ramona address it is known to be BMR housing?
I'm really surprised PAPD is publicizing so much information so soon:
"When the teen left the stove unattended momentarily, a fire started, activating the apartment’s sprinkler system. Once the fire was extinguished, the suspect threw the butane canisters into a nearby trash chute and attempted to flush a substantial amount of marijuana down a toilet."
Seems much of that information would still be "under investigation."
another community
on Jun 27, 2015 at 8:47 am
on Jun 27, 2015 at 8:47 am
[Post removed.]
Midtown
on Jun 27, 2015 at 11:19 am
on Jun 27, 2015 at 11:19 am
[Post removed.]
Downtown North
on Jun 27, 2015 at 11:50 am
on Jun 27, 2015 at 11:50 am
Wouldn't it have been easier to bake some magic brownies instead? If there is a need for weed in downtown, why not allow a dispensary or two in the area? It is certainly better than having artisan hash oil entrepreneurs filling the void.
"The incident is likely enough for the apartment manager to start the process in forcing these tenants out."
So one person tries to start the Towering Inferno and everyone gets punished Criminals need to get das boot, but also punishing innocent people is just wrong.
Palo Verde
on Jun 27, 2015 at 1:53 pm
on Jun 27, 2015 at 1:53 pm
The suggestion was limited to just the tenants in the single apartment,
not the entire complex.
Downtown North
on Jun 27, 2015 at 2:16 pm
on Jun 27, 2015 at 2:16 pm
"The suggestion was limited to just the tenants in the single apartment,
not the entire complex."
One would expect that the tenants would get booted out. The 17 year old who started the fire, certainly. His parents are responsible for his behavior, so it would be no surprise if they got evicted. Their continued might well pose a clear danger to the other residents of the complex. Landlords generally don't tolerate illegal drugs and fire hazards well, nor should they.