Olivia Dimmer | The Oregonian/OregonLive

On Friday, investigators displayed equipment found in one of two Kerby Avenue homes destroyed by a butane hash oil explosion. Among the items retrieved were bags full of used butane canisters, the flammable gas used to make hash oil.

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Olivia Dimmer | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Two people died in the explosion on Monday, including hash oil manufacturer Matthew McCrann. The explosion and fire destroyed his home and the home of his neighbor. A contractor working in McCrann's home, Richard Cisler, was also killed.

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Olivia Dimmer | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Investigators said pipes, like the ones pictured above, were filled with the stems and other discarded parts of the marijuana plant, then processed to make hash oil. Joe Luiz, an investigator with Portland police, couldn't say whether McCrann was selling the hash oil but said the scale of the operation was much larger than a person would need for personal use.

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Olivia Dimmer | The Oregonian/OregonLive

The small hole at the bottom of the butane canisters indicate McCrann was using large quantities of the gas at a time. Something as small as static electricity could have set off the explosion, investigators said, though the exact source of the ignition is still unknown.

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Olivia Dimmer | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Parts of McCrann's equipment could be purchased online for little more than $5,000, investigators said, and the cost of all the equipment found in the home could be as much as $20,000.

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Olivia Dimmer | The Oregonian/OregonLive

When Luiz and his partner, Portland Fire investigator Rick McGraw, first arrived at the scene, the magnitude of the explosion led them to believe it was caused by natural gas.

"I've never seen one this bad," Luiz said.

He said this is the first time someone has died from a butane hash oil explosion in Portland.

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Olivia Dimmer | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Because the equipment used to make hash oil is available online with no regulation, it's easy for people to start illegally manufacturing the oil, Luiz said. In addition, people can buy unlimited amounts of butane from local stores.

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Olivia Dimmer | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Making hash oil using butane can be dangerous. For years, the activity was unregulated and underground, carried out by home producers who often misunderstand the risks. The gas, a cheap and flammable solvent, is used to extract tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, from marijuana flowers and leaves.

It can quickly fill an enclosed space, where something as ordinary as a pilot light can ignite a fireball. Hash oil explosions are fairly common in Oregon.