A 31-year-old man remains in hospital with severe burns sustained in an explosion in a north Nanaimo apartment building Tuesday.
Firefighters were called out at 9:19 p.m. to deal with an explosion and fire in a suite at an apartment complex on the 3200 block of Rock City Road. The fire was out when firefighters arrived, but they turned their findings over to the RCMP for investigation.
Cpl. Jon Stuart, Nanaimo RCMP spokesman, said it appeared marijuana oil was being extracted, which resulted in the explosion. A 19-year-old woman also receive minor burns, but a child in the apartment was unharmed.
The apartment sustained substantial damage in the blast.
"The apartment had windows blown out and drywall from the ceiling and walls," Stuart said. "I don't know if there was any damage to the neighbouring apartments."
There were no reports of any other injuries.
Stuart said he did not have a court date for the male suspect, but charges are pending and the criminal investigation is continuing.
"It looks like production of a controlled substance is what's being pursued right now," Stuart said.
Anyone with information on this or other crimes, please contact the Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345 or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, text 274637 with keyword Nanaimo or submit tips online at www.nanaimocrimestoppers.com.