Home destroyed by butane tank explosion on Sunday, November 30, 2014.

Man wanted in Black Hawk hash oil blast that destroyed house, killed dog

A man is wanted in a November hash oil manufacturing explosion and house fire at his Black Hawk-area home that killed one of his dogs and left him injured.

Leland Charles Baker, 60, is wanted on suspicion of processing or manufacturing of marijuana or marijuana concentrate, possession of a controlled substance, arson and cruelty to animals.

Evidence of a marijuana cultivation operation and cans of butane were found in Baker’s house, according to the 1st Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Authorities in Gilpin County said a butane tank exploding was to blame for the home’s evisceration.


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Baker, who was renting the home about five miles north of Black Hawk in an unincorporated part of the county, was immediately investigated in the blast.

Another dog was also badly burned in the explosion but expected to survive.

Hash oil is extracted from marijuana using a dangerous chemical process that has been the center of regulatory debates throughout the state.

A neighbor and a passerby stopped and were able to help Baker out of a window and away from the burning home after the explosion, according to 7News.

The Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office issued the warrant for Baker’s arrest on Jan. 7. Anyone with information about Baker’s whereabouts is asked to call the sheriff’s office at (303) 582-1060.

Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or twitter.com/JesseAPaul

This story was first published on DenverPost.com