Authorities discovered a methamphetamine lab in a Burlington home as they were investigating a fire that occurred early yesterday morning, township police said today.
BURLINGTON TOWNSHIP — Authorities discovered a methamphetamine lab in a Burlington home as they were investigating a fire that occurred early yesterday morning, township police said today.
Fire and police officials responded to a fire in a Bodine Avenue home about 1:30 a.m. While firefighters were inside they discovered chemicals they believed could be hazardous, police said.
Hazardous material investigators from the State Police confirmed the chemicals were being used to create methamphetamine, police said.
Authorities also found a TEC 9, a machine pistol that is an illegal assault firearm; two loaded high-capacity magazines for the gun, hollow-point bullets, a dagger-style knife and drug paraphernalia needed to run the meth lab, police said.
Mark Payne, 29, who rented a room in the house, and Erika Greenberg, a 23-year-old East Windsor resident also present during the fire, have been arrested and are being held in the Burlington County Jail in lieu of $250,000 and $100,000 bail, respectively, police said.
Payne and Greenberg both suffered minor injuries in the fire and one of the firefighters responding to the scene was injured, police said. All three were treated and released from Lourdes Medical Center in Willingboro.
The federal Drug Enforcement Agency will assist in the removal of the chemicals and other volatile materials that remained on the scene, police said.
Officials were not available for comment about the severity of the fire.
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