Kennewick man blows up townhouse cooking hash oil

A Kennewick man blew up a townhouse Wednesday while he was cooking hash oil, police said.

No one was hurt by the afternoon explosion at the townhouse off South Dawes Street, near Edison Elementary School, police said.

The explosion damaged the man’s townhouse and his neighbor’s, according to police.

The garage door was blown outward, and the glass windows in the back of the townhouse were blasted out.

Kennewick officers said they arrested Gabrial C. Schumacher, 37, after he allegedly tried to run away from officers responding to the explosion.

Firefighters had to put out the small fire that started because of the explosion. A building inspector was at the scene.

Hash oil is created by extracting and concentrating chemicals from cannabis with a solvent like butane, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The process can lead to a buildup of volatile gas that can explode if not ventilated.

Schumacher was booked into the Benton County jail on warrants.

This story was originally published March 21, 2018 at 5:48 PM with the headline "Kennewick man blows up townhouse cooking hash oil."