Apartment being used by two women as a meth lab EXPLODES with small child inside: Cops

Authorities in Texas have arrested two women they say were operating a methamphetamine laboratory inside of an apartment.

According to KDFW, a young child was inside the apartment when the equipment exploded Friday night. Fortunately, the child — and everyone else in the vicinity — avoided injuries.

A number of neighbors reported hearing a loud noise at the time of the explosion, which occurred just after 11 p.m. Friday at the Plantation Apartments in Arlington. Some witnesses initially believed a bomb had detonated nearby.

“I was in my apartment, we were watching a movie and the whole apartment just shook,” said Alfonzo Martinez, who lives at the complex.

He said he immediately walked outside to investigate and initially did not see anything out of the ordinary.

Martinez said he realized something serious had occurred when he “heard all the ambulance and police officers” arrive on the scene.

Residents were temporarily evacuated from their homes and there were numerous reports of broken windows caused by the explosion.

Reports indicate both 39-year-old Nancy Cruz-Rodriguez and 18-year-old Odalys Corrales were arrested on suspicion of manufacturing and delivering a controlled substance. Corrales is also expected to face charges of child endangerment in connection with the child exposed to the dangerous meth lab.

According to WFAA, police collected 21 pounds of methamphetamine inside the residence.

A search of the apartment reportedly led to the seizure of an undisclosed amount of cash and a vehcile in addition to drug-related evidence.

Authorities said shortly after the explosion that they had contacted social workers with Child Protective Services in an effort to place the child in appropriate custody.

As of the latest reports available, local authorities indicated the case might result in federal prosecution and have declined to release the suspects’ mugshots.

[Featured image: KDFW video screenshot]