Eugene man faces arson charges after butane marijuana explosion at mother's home

A Eugene man now faces first-degree arson charges after police say a butane dab-making operation in his mother’s garage sparked an explosion and fire in the 3900 block of River Road, sending one man to the hospital and triggering a felony case months later.

Investigators say Derek David Davia, 52, was making marijuana dabs with butane when the blast hit the home in the Santa Clara neighborhood last November. When responders arrived, they reportedly found more than a dozen propane tanks, marijuana buds and a strong marijuana odor, a combination that underscored how unstable the setup had become inside a residential garage.

Police said Davia fled before fire crews and officers reached the scene. He later called 911 from a few blocks away because he was injured and needed medical care. Court records reportedly include Davia’s admission that he was making dabs with butane when the explosion occurred, and a warrant for his arrest was filed in Lane County Circuit Court on April 9.

The criminal case turns an emergency scene into a prosecution centered on how illegal extraction work can turn a house into an ignition point. Butane is a colorless, liquefied compressed gas, and safety officials have long warned that fuel vapors can ignite if they meet a spark or flame, causing flash fires or explosions. In a garage packed with fuel sources, the danger can move fast: one leak, one spark or one pressure shift can send fire through the space before anyone nearby has time to react.

That risk extends beyond the people inside the house. A blast in a neighborhood along River Road can injure occupants, threaten adjacent homes and put firefighters at risk when they arrive to knock down flames and check for hidden fuel. In this case, one man was hospitalized and Davia himself was injured, showing how quickly a backyard or garage extraction setup can turn into a scene with multiple victims.

Oregon law treats arson tied to the manufacture of a controlled substance as a separate offense. The first-degree charge applies when the manufacturing causes a fire or explosion that damages protected property or recklessly places another person in danger. Lane County prosecutors are now using that statute to pursue a case that began with marijuana concentrate and ended with an explosion, an injured suspect and a damaged home on River Road.