Hotel Room Explosion Attributed to One Pot Meth Lab
Posted
Staff Report-
An explosion and fire at a Warsaw hotel Saturday that sent a Ligonier man to a burn ward is being attributed to meth activity. Saturday around 5:52 p.m. Warsaw Wayne Fire Territory and Warsaw Police were called to the Days Inn located at 2575 E. Center St. in Warsaw for smoke coming from a second story room. Upon arrival fire crews and emergency medical crews found a fire in the bathroom of room 218 as a result of an explosion. The bathroom door was blown off its hinges and the ceiling in room 218 and an ajoining room had fallen down as a result of the explosion. No one was found in the room but calls to central dispatch indicated that an injured subject was running near the Marketplace shopping center. Warsaw Police located Paul Luna, 36, Ligonier, with his shoes and pants still smoldering. Luna had severe burns to his arms and head and was flown by Samaritan Helicopter to the burn unit at Saint Joseph Hospital in Fort Wayne. At the scene, Luna provided emergency personnel with information that another person was in the room when the explosion occurred. It was believed that a 22-year-old Cromwell man was injured in the explosion but he had not been located. As of Sunday police are no longer seeking him. He has been located and does not have any injuries, and it does not appear that he was even present at Days Inn, according to police. Additional scene investigation found a bystander was also injured after the explosion when he entered the room with a fire extinguisher and suffered smoke inhalation. The bystander was treated at Kosciusko Community Hospital and released. It is believed that the explosion was a result of a one pot meth lab, but investigation into the actual cause is under way by the Warsaw Police Drug/Narcotics Taskforce and the Indiana State Police. On the initial call the Days Inn was evacuated, but residents have since been allowed back into their rooms. Four rooms have been closed off and quarantined as a result of the explosion and resulting fire and water damage. The Indiana State Police Meth clean-up team is on site. Warsaw Police were assisted by the Koscuisko County Sheriff's Department, Indiana State Police, Winona Lake Police, Multi-Township EMS, Warsaw/Wayne Fire Territory, Winona Lake Fire Department, Samaritan Helicopter, and the Kosciusko County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. This investigation is ongoing.
