5 Burned in Possible Texas Mobile Meth Lab Fire

Aug. 29--LAKE WORTH -- A possible mobile methamphetamine lab may have caused an explosion that set a car on fire Wednesday night, burning five people, a Tarrant County official said Thrusday.

Local drug agents with Tarrant County Narcotics Unit received information that a person was sitting in the backseat of the 2003 Ford Taurus, shaking a 2-liter bottle with chemicals that could be used in the manufacturing of methamphetamine, said Herschel Tebay, commander of the county drug unit.

Tebay declined to provide additional details.

"We have samples that we're testing," Tebay said Thursday in a telephone interview.

According to a CBS//Associated Press report, one type of mobile methamphetamine method is called "shake-n-bake." The technique requires a few handfuls of cold pills, a two-liter soda bottle and household chemicals, all of which can be carried in a backpack and mixed on the run.

The formula does away with the clutter of the typical meth labs, but not the danger, officials said.

The Methamphetamine Reduction Act helped to drastically cut down on methamphetamine labs; the total number of clandestine lab incidents reported fell from almost 17,400 in 2003 to 7,347 in 2006, according to Drug Enforcement Administration reports. But the number of reported incidents has begun to rise again and some authorities blame "shake-n-bake."

The four-door sedan caught fire about 8:15 p.m. Wednesday as it was stopped at a traffic light at Northwest Loop 820 and Azle Avenue, authorities said.

"It remains under investigation," Fire Marshal Mike Voorhies said of the case on Thursday.

"Witnesses have told us that it just burst into flames," he said.

The five people, four men and one woman, remained in the burn unit at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, Voorhies said. Authorities did not release the names or conditions of the victims.

The occupants were on fire when they jumped out of the vehicle, which was destroyed, authorities said.

Four were transported to Parkland by helicopter amublance. One was taken by ground ambulance. They ranged in age from mid-20s to mid-40s, a MedStar official said.

The Lake Worth fire department responded to the call first and the Fort Worth fire department assisted.

Copyright 2013 - Fort Worth Star-Telegram