Meth Lab Explosion at Greenleaf Street Home: Police

UPDATED: 12:50 p.m.

Seven people, including two Bethlehem police officers, suffered injuries Friday morning as a result of an explosion and fire at a suspected methamphetamine lab at 1965 Greenleaf St., police said.

The explosion and fire happened about three hours before Bethlehem police planned to execute a search warrant at the house, which was obtained as a result of a two-month investigation into methamphetamine sales in the city and Bethlehem Township, police said.

The Bethlehem Fire Department was called to the fire at 3:01 a.m. and “quickly extinguished the blaze,” police said.

“After the fire portion of this event was contained early this morning, there were no hazardous conditions that would have affected those in the neighborhood,” police wrote in their blog. However, the building has been condemned by city officials, police said.

One woman at the scene suffered what police said are unknown injuries and was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital – Muhlenberg. Four other people – two men and two women – had fled the scene when the fire ignited and went to the hospital on their own.

The two men had fled the area in a van, then abandoned it and were driven to the hospital by an unknown individual, police said.

According to published reports, police were investigating a van parked in the Wal-Mart mall on Route 191.

One police officer suffered chemical burns and another suffered the effects of inhaling chemicals. Neither was seriously hurt and both were treated and released, police said.

City and township police, working with the Northampton County Drug Task Force, had been working for two months investigating methamphetamine sales, police said. The investigation led to a person who was linked to the home on Greenleaf Street, police said.

Police were scheduled to serve a search warrant at the home at 6 a.m. Friday morning.

The Pennsylvania State Police clandestine laboratory team was called to the scene to assist with evidence processing, police said. No criminal charges have been filed yet, but the incident remains under investigation, police said.