MOSES LAKE — Three Moses Lake men were seriously burned after drug preparation led to a flash fire in a shed on Airway Drive in Moses Lake Monday night.

Jeffrey Beavin, 30, Ray A. Jones, 28, and Sean M. Jensen, 28, were reportedly using butane in an attempt to remove resin from marijuana inside of a PVC pipe, said Grant County Chief Deputy Courtney Conklin. The substance that was to be extracted is believed to be used for rubbing onto cigarettes to smoke, he added.

“During the process, the butane accumulated inside the small shed and ignited when one of the men tried to light a cigarette,” Conklin explained. “All three males received serious burn injuries and were initially transported to Samaritan Hospital in Moses Lake. They were all subsequently transferred to the burn unit at Harborview Medical Center [in Seattle] for treatment.”

Initially the incident was investigated as an explosion from a bomb, Conklin said. The reporting party called 9-1-1 stating there were three men with burns but did not know how they were burned.

Deputies interviewed the burn victims at the hospital. They allegedly advised they caused the flash fire, he said. It is not yet determined if charges will be filed against the men.

Grant County Fire District 5, Moses Lake Police Department, Grand Coulee Police Department bomb canine unit and Grant County Emergency Management assisted with the investigation.

The investigation continues.