On September 25, 2015 at approximately 6:00 p.m. emergency crews responded to an explosion on Bedford Street in Chatham. The detached garage subsequently caught fire causing about $25,000 damage.
Preliminary investigation led officers to believe that the explosion was as a result of occupants in the garage operating a cannabis marijuana extraction lab. Through investigation, police seized cannabis marijuana and cannabis resin with a combined estimated street value of $1,134,387. Two people were transported to the Hamilton General Hospital Burn Unit for medical attention. They were both treated and eventually released.
Two 25-year-old men from Selkirk Street in Chatham, and a 46-year-old Beford Street woman have all been arrested and charged with two counts of possession for the purposes of trafficking and one count of production of a controlled substance.
The men have additionally been charged with arson causing bodily harm and arson causing damage to property. They have all been released with conditions pending a future court date.
