The Lafayette home mangled by a suspected hash oil explosion has sat virtually untouched in the months since the February blast, nearby residents say, and efforts to remedy the issue have fallen into a regulatory limbo of sorts.
It’s a relatively unique situation — the homeowners are awaiting arraignment on a slew of charges for the alleged operation while city officials build a case of property code violations to retake control of the home — though one that spotlights questions of how both state and local forces typically handle these incidents.
Such questions have nagged law enforcement and regulatory bodies, who have said that recent explosions are side-effects of Colorado’s post-legalization haze.
The February explosion shattered windows and rocked homes closest to the blast along the 1000 block of Modred Street, according to Lafayette resident Matt Rankin, who lives only feet from the home.
It’s been more than five months since fire crews doused the ensuing blaze, though the house remains with its windows boarded up and grass long-overgrown. Residents such as Rankin have complained to both city officials and law enforcement with no avail; the process is slowed by requirements in the city’s property code violation process, according to officials.
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