Ohio Nursing Home Meth Lab Fire Ruled Accidental

ASHTABULA, Ohio -- A man who died hours after Sunday's methamphetamine lab fire at Park Haven Nursing Home suffered burns on more than 90 percent of his body, the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office said Wednesday.

The death of Shaun Warrens, 31, of Ashtabula, was ruled accidental, according to the medical examiner's report.

Meanwhile, Environmental Protection Agency tests at the nursing home showed no initial problems with air quality, said Brian M. Kelly, on-scene coordinator with the EPA Superfund Division.

He said canisters were placed about the building to measure long-term air quality. The EPA tests were performed at the requested of the Ohio Department of Health.

At the same time, a handful of residents at Park Haven were moved to Lake Pointe Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Conneaut. An employee confirmed that residents on the second floor, where the explosion took place, were either moved to the empty rooms on the first floor or to Conneaut.

Warrens was a visitor in room 18 on the second floor when a fiery explosion occurred at 8:37 p.m., according to the Ashtabula Fire Department report and a witness at the scene.

An initial investigation indicated the blaze broke out in a room where someone -- possibly a visitor -- apparently had brought in what was needed to make meth, making it a one-time event, rather than having a more permanent lab set up in a room, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

Methamphetamine is a highly addictive stimulant. Mobile meth labs, also called one-pot or shake-and-bake labs, usually consist of a 2-liter bottle and the drug's ingredients, said Bob Frey, the department's chief of health assessment.

Shaking the mixture agitates the chemicals and produces the heat needed to cook the drug. But it can also cause a violent reaction that could melt or rupture the container. The explosion or fire usually is confined to the person making the drug and the surrounding area, Frey said.

A nurse on the scene said she saw three men engulfed in flames on the second floor before she escaped the building and helped others to safety. Warrens was one of the men the nurse told authorities about, she said.

Warrens was transported to the MetroHealth Burn Care Center in Cleveland, but succumbed to his injuries Monday morning, according to the fire department's report. Four other people were hospitalized at Ashtabula County Medical Center after the fire, and two people were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation, police said. Everyone was released from the hospital Tuesday, Police Chief Robert Stell said Tuesday.

Police said they expected charges against the two other men who were burned. Stell said investigators believe two visitors and one Park Haven resident knew about the meth lab.

The nursing home fire damaged one room and part of a second-floor hallway, according to the fire department report. That portion of the nursing home was closed off on Monday, fire officials said.

About 38 residents live at the facility, a nurse said.

Park Haven was cited last year for inadequate care and more than a dozen other violations, state records show.

Alleged violations found in a December survey included inadequate care, failure to investigate how a resident was injured and improperly responding to residents' complaints about missing property. The facility's plan of correction said it would go over proper care policies and reporting procedures with staff and would replace residents' missing items.

A review of the home in June resulted in citations for violations that alleged Park Haven failed to provide proper care for a resident in pain from a fractured leg and another whose vital signs changed critically.

A federal rating system gives the nursing home one star out of five -- the lowest possible on health inspections and quality measures. However, the registered nursing staff rated three out of five stars, and the nursing staff rated four out of five stars.

Inspectors noted 11 fire safety violations in 2010 and 2011, including a finding that the building did not have a written emergency evacuation plan.

On Monday, a man identifying himself as an attorney representing Park Haven refused to comment.

Associated Press contributed to this story.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service