Petaluma hash oil fire lands one in hospital, one in jail

A Petaluma man remained in custody Wednesday, suspected of running a hash oil lab, which apparently exploded and seriously burned another man, Petaluma police said.

Officers arrested Cooper Joseph Winters, 33, on Monday afternoon following an investigation into a fire early Sunday at a Coronado Drive home, according to Petaluma Police Sgt. Ed Crosby.

Police were contacted Sunday morning by Bay Area hospital officials, alerting them to the injured man. Officers and firefighters then went to the house and found signs of a minor fire, Crosby said.

The victim remained at the hospital Wednesday, reportedly in stable condition. That man’s name wasn’t released.

Crosby said an investigation led to Winters’ arrest on suspicion of manufacturing hash oil, possessing heroin and drug paraphernalia and violating his probation.

Winters was being held in the Sonoma County Jail, facing four felony counts. His bail was set at $100,000, according to jail records.

Making hash oil is an unstable process and fires and explosions frequently occur. Several area fire departments and law enforcement agencies in recent years have responded to numerous hash oil-related fires involving people getting burned and homes being damaged.