A Kalispell man arrested after a fire led to the discovery of a methamphetamine lab pleaded not guilty Thursday to a felony charge.

Kyle Puckett, 27, was charged in Flathead District Court with operation of an unlawful clandestine laboratory, a crime that carries a possible penalty of up to 50 years in prison because it is alleged to have been committed within 500 feet of a residence, business, church or school.

According to a court document, a Flathead County Sheriff’s deputy responded to the April 14 fire and spoke with Puckett, who was trying to put out the fire with a garden hose. He told the deputy that he was renting a room in the home and did not know how the fire had started.

During a walk-through of the home by a fire team, a team member reportedly saw a tin plate in a bathroom attached to a bedroom. There was a razor blade and lines of white powder on the tin.

Based on those observations, a later search was conducted by law enforcement. That search uncovered a meth lab in the room attached to the bathroom where the tin plate was seen. There also were supplies for manufacturing the drug.

A backpack in the room contained further precursors and a bottle of capsules of a non-prescription medication commonly used to cut meth to stretch the supply. The document alleges the backpack previously was found in Puckett’s possession during an unrelated traffic stop conducted by Northwest Drug Task Force agents.

During an interview with a task force agent, the owner of the home in which the lab was found allegedly said Puckett had many visitors while he was living there. He also said he had witnessed transactions involving money between Puckett and several other people.

After his arrest, Puckett allegedly admitted he had been staying in the room where the lab was found, that the backpack was his, that he had been passing off other substances as drugs and that he had been bartering drugs with people.

His next hearing is set for July 17. He is currently incarcerated in the Flathead County Detention Center, where his bond is set at $75,000.