Woman severely burned in Mendocino County cannabis oil lab

A woman severely injured in a fire at a Mendocino County cannabis-extraction lab was flown to the UC Davis Medical Center burn unit in Sacramento Thursday night, Cal Fire said.

A barn went up in flames near the intersection of Highway 162 and Mendocino Pass Road in Covelo around 10:30 p.m. when a heating device was likely knocked over, said Mendocino County Sheriff’s Capt. Gregory Van Patten.

Sheriff’s detectives are investigating the illegal operation, Van Patten said. Butane or another flammable substance was used for the extraction process.

There were multiple people in the barn at the time of the fire, but no arrests were made, he said. The identity of the women has not been released.

You can reach Staff Writer Nick Rahaim at 707-521-5203 or nick.rahaim@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @nrahaim.