‘Very volatile type of situation’: K2 drug mill found in home basement following fire, explosion, officials say

Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh says an explosion from a house containing a suspected drug mill sent four firefighters to the hospital because of toxic fumes.

News 12 Staff

Aug 6, 2020, 2:11 PM

Updated 1,595 days ago

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Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh says an explosion from a house containing a suspected drug mill sent four firefighters to the hospital because of toxic fumes.
The incident happened shortly after midnight at the home at 155 Illinois Ave.
Police are still trying to piece together who was involved in the suspected K2 drug mill. 
According to the mayor, the firefighters who collapsed on the ground after breathing in the fumes are safe and home from the hospital.
"Very volatile type of situation,” says Public Safety Director Jerry Speziale. “You know, a million dollars’ worth of stuff that could be sold on the streets. Thankfully, it will not make it to the streets.”
The firefighters broke windows to get to the basement.  There, they found what Mayor Sayegh describes as a drug dungeon. 
"So, there were two families, one of six and one of five,” says Mayor Sayegh. “We spoke to one of the families and they're safe, but it's sad to know that this was taking place in a working-class neighborhood and a block away from a school."
Eleven people were displaced because of the explosion.