The blast tore through a Sand Springs business complex in the middle of the night. Now, court documents are revealing a history of inspection problems, questionable licensing and hazardous materials.
At around 1:15 a.m. on August 27, residents of Sand Springs, Oklahoma, got a very rude wake-up call: an explosion at a cannabis extraction facility.
The blast at SoloS Extracts, located inside the Morrow-Gill Business Complex, killed two men, destroyed or severely damaged the facility and affected at least 25 neighboring businesses. The force was strong enough to blow portions of the roof apart, cave in walls and twist metal beams. One resident a mile away told local television station KTUL that he and his wife woke up at the same time after hearing what he described simply as “a big boom.”
Now, as investigators try to determine exactly what happened, the story is becoming less about one catastrophic blast and more about a series of questions surrounding the facility. And some of those questions were apparently there before the explosion.
The Explosion Wasn’t Supposed to Happen
The two people killed were identified as Michael Newman and Stephen Scott, both employees of the business, according to authorities. Newman was initially found alive and transported to a hospital, where he later died.
The owner of SoloS Extracts, 35-year-old Ryan Bassham, has since been charged with two counts of first-degree murder. He surrendered to authorities after an arrest warrant was issued and was later released after posting a combined $2 million bond.
But here’s where things get complicated.
According to a probable-cause affidavit reported by Public Radio Tulsa and local news outlets, Sand Springs Fire Marshal Mike Nobles had inspected the facility in January. During that inspection, he reportedly found an outdated fire-suppression system and extraction equipment. He instructed the business to have the extraction booth disconnected until another inspection could take place.
At the time of that inspection, Nobles said he did not see hazardous materials at the facility.
After the explosion, investigators reportedly found large quantities of liquid propane and other equipment that had not been present during the January inspection.
In other words: whatever changed in that building in the months between the inspection and the explosion appears to be a crucial part of the investigation.
And there was also a licensing problem.
Court records indicate that the business’s Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority license and Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics registration were on file but were not valid at the time of the explosion, according to Public Radio Tulsa. Investigators are examining whether the facility was legally authorized to conduct the work it was doing.
And that’s not a minor technicality when you’re talking about an industrial process involving potentially hazardous materials.
Cannabis concentrates can be produced through several different methods. Some industrial extraction processes involve highly flammable gases, which means facilities have to meet specific safety and permitting requirements.
While authorities have not yet announced a final technical cause for the Sand Springs explosion, investigators have said the blast originated inside the THC extraction facility, and local reporting has raised the possibility that flammable gases used during extraction—including butane or propane—were involved. Police and federal agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, are still investigating.
But let’s take a quick moment here, because a possible cause is not the same thing as a confirmed cause. The investigation is still underway. What is becoming clearer, however, is the scale of the consequences.
At least 25 businesses in the surrounding complex were damaged, according to local and industry reporting. Some business owners said they were unsure when—or whether—they would be able to reopen.
And the damage was pretty severe. Witnesses described roofs being torn apart, walls collapsing and debris scattered through the complex. A nearby resident told KJRH that the blast shook her 38-foot RV hard enough to move it.
Two Deaths, 25 Businesses and a Lot of Questions
The charges against Bassham are based on allegations that hazardous activity was taking place despite previous instructions to stop operations. Prosecutors argue that the deaths occurred in connection with felony conduct, but Bassham has not been convicted.
There is another twist, too.
On September 1, authorities arrested Bassham again in connection with a separate alleged illegal marijuana processing operation near Kellyville, Oklahoma. According to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, the new case includes allegations of manufacturing and trafficking controlled substances and possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony.
For the Sand Springs investigation, though, the central question remains remarkably simple: What happened inside that building at 1:15 in the morning?
Investigators from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, the State Fire Marshal’s Office, local authorities and the ATF are working to reconstruct what happened and determine what materials and equipment were being used.
Until that investigation is complete, it’s too early to say exactly what triggered the explosion. But the timeline already tells us something. There had been an inspection. There had been concerns about the facility. There were questions about its equipment and licensing. Investigators say hazardous materials found on-site had not been present during the earlier inspection.
Then, at around 1:15 a.m., the roof came off. Two people died. Twenty-five businesses were damaged. And a cannabis industry that has spent years trying to distinguish regulated, professional production from the black market now has another grim reminder of why industrial safety rules exist in the first place.
Cover photo created with AI with pictures from Unsplash.
