Suspected Meth Operations Blamed for Great Bend Fire

Police say they believe methamphetamine was being manufactured at an apartment that caught fire in Great Bend January 30 in spite of the tenant claiming the blaze was started by a candle.

The fire began in a bedroom in an apartment on Main Street at around 9:30 p.m.
Detectives say they found a meth lab still on fire on the roof of the second floor of the unit.

The Great Bend Fire Chief says the tenant took burning items like curtains, a fan and some bedding and threw them out the window, which caught the attic and front porch on fire.

The tenant suffered minor burns.

Residents of the building had to be evacuated.

Charges are pending.