A Franklin County man received burns to his torso and legs on Friday in a methamphetamine explosion in a Franklin County home.
According to Franklin County Sheriff Gary Toelke, the incident occurred at 5:45 a.m. when the communications department received a call of a peace disturbance at 1262 Highway AT, Villa Ridge. Shortly thereafter, a second call was received from a female at the residence. Deputies heard a male subject yelling in the background that he was on fire. Deputies and Boles Fire were dispatched to the scene.
Boles Fire made entry into the home and no one was inside. The fire was contained inside the residence with firefighters locating what appeared to be material commonly associated with a meth lab.
Franklin County Narcotics Enforcement Unit officers arrived on the scene and confirmed that a meth lab operation was inside the home where the fire occurred.
The victim, a white male, 36, Villa Ridge, was transported to St. John’s Mercy Hospital, Washington, by a female prior to the arrival of deputies and firefighters. The victim received burns to his torso and legs, and his condition is not known at press time. The victim did have prior narcotics related arrests.
The female, identified as Nadja Hogan, 38, was arrested at St. John’s Hospital by Washington police on an outstanding warrant for traffic charges. Hogan had been at a residence where a suspicious fire occurred on Highway M nearly two weeks prior to the Highway AT fire.
Sheriff Toelke stated that it is believed that a four-year-old child was living in the residence at Highway AT at the time of the meth lab explosion.
Further investigation into this incident is being conducted by the FCNEU.