Kentucky Emergency Crews Called To Dangerous Car Explosion
This week residents in the Essie community of Leslie County are back home after an explosion forced them from their homes and closed a road for several hours.
It's an all to familiar scene, another unwanted reminder of just how big eastern Kentucky's drug problem is.
Trooper John Napier said, "We received a complaint from a LKLP bus driver that they we're following a vehicle and that there was some type of explosion in the vehicle."
Police say the top of a propane gas tank containing anhydrous ammonia exploded in the trunk of a car. They say the the propane tank was not equipped to hold anhydrous ammonia and that's why it blew up.
Lynn Howard was just a few cars behind the Thunderbird when it exploded and says it was like nothing he has ever seen.
Howard and another witness say they saw two men outside the smoking car while a woman was lying on the ground.
After seeing the smoke, Howard stayed out of the way.
Howard also lives close to the scene and says he and his family left soon after the explosion to avoid the chance that his children may get sick.
Police say he did the right thing and suggests that everyone stay as far away from meth labs as possible and call police immediately.
It's unknown if the suspects were seriously hurt. The suspects couldn't be found but officials say what they did find was a mobile meth lab.
Everyone was allowed back into their homes late Thursday afternoon and the road reopened after being closed for nearly five hours.
Police are still searching for the two suspects who were in the car.
If anyone has information about those involved in the mobile meth lab explosion you should call the Kentucky State Police at 1-800-222-5555.