InTheCapital

Meth Lab Explosion Rocks Luxury Dupont Apartment. Yeah, You Read That Right.

 Carl Pierre

It seems as if the show Breaking Bad has gained some traction with some residents of Dupont Circle, as DCPD and the fire department were called out last night to put out a fire caused by a meth lab explosion in a luxury apartment building on the 1600 block of R Street. The explosion startled several of the residents in the surrounding units of the apartment, and the following fire alarm woke up any slumbering residents that weren’t jolted by the explosion.

A building resident shared the tumultuous experience, detailing what happened

I was getting ready to go to bed in my apartment when I heard the fire alarm.  At first, I thought somebody might have pulled it as a joke so I took my time getting out of the building.  I just grabbed my keys and cell phone.  I exited down the stairs and out the front of the building.  I crossed R street and could see smoke and a red glow coming from the 4th floor window.  The sprinklers were also running at the time.

Safe to say that a meth lab explosion is something most people don’t experience or mentally prepare for, so it’s understandable that it took many residents by surprise. The real shocker is that the supposed “meth cookers” were  some of the friendliest residents in the building, and there were no warning signs that would indicate something as elaborate as a meth lab would be occurring in their unit. One building resident described them as

…very friendly/outgoing and have been living in the building for several years.  I would chat with them in the gym on various occasions.  I would never suspect they would be cooking meth in their apartment.

So far residents of the building have been asked to refrain from reentering their apartments due to the ongoing police investigation. They have not heard anything regarding details on fire damage to their apartments or possible dangerous chemical leaks. What makes the experience all the more surreal is the quality of the apartments; the building is considered to be one of the nicer luxury apartments one can find in Dupont. A meth lab is probably the last thing you would imagine to find in the building. For the displaced residents forced to leave their apartments, they have been kept in the dark as to the status of what will happen regarding housing and their belongings. Many residents have been forced to stay in hotels and friend’s apartments, some even staying at the Red Cross for the night. There has been no comments made yet from the building’s owners, Borger Management.

I will update this story more as it develops, I am deeply curious to see what the meth lab’s occupants have to say.

UPDATE: Residents have been allowed back into their apartments.