PCP is suspected cause of Kansas City house explosion

The dangers of exploding methamphetamine labs are well known to area police officers, but a Saturday explosion that is being attributed to the powerful hallucinogenic drug PCP may be a first in Kansas City.

Just after 5 p.m., police were called to a house in the 2900 block of Olive Street after witnesses reported an explosion. When they arrived, officers saw that an upstairs window had been blown out.

After firefighters forced open the locked front door, several officers went upstairs. After entering a third-floor apartment, they walked through a “cloudy mist” to get to an occupant, according to police reports.

The 28-year-old man told police that he was “just smoking my wet” when it blew up, according to reports. “Wet” is a slang term for PCP.

The man and four police officers went to hospitals to be checked for exposure to the drug. Police booked the man into jail but released him while police continue to investigate.

Officers with the Kansas City police drug unit said they have not seen any other incidents of explosions caused by the use or manufacture of PCP.

Most of the PCP encountered on Kansas City streets is manufactured in California. Like methamphetamine, toxic and volatile chemicals are used to manufacture PCP. House explosions in Los Angeles and the Atlanta area in the last year have been attributed to PCP labs.

This story was originally published July 28, 2014 at 12:52 PM with the headline "PCP is suspected cause of Kansas City house explosion."