A meth lab explosion is to blame for a Friday morning structure fire in LaPorte, according to authorities there. The LaPorte Police and Fire Departments responded just before 2 a.m. to a house fire at 1408 Scott Street and found the structure fully engulfed.
All of the home’s occupants were out of the residence. The woman who lived there told the police she let a homeless male acquaintance spend the night. She said he caught her daughter’s mattress on fire and tried to put it out with water in the bathroom. The two children who reside there were not home at the time.
Further investigation indicated materials used to make methamphetamine were present in the home. Authorities also say meth was being made inside a plastic bottle when the mattress caught fire. Also a neighbor told police they heard three or four loud bangs and discovered the house was on fire when they went to investigate.
No serious injuries were reported. The incident remains under investigation.
###
