Alleged Methamphetamine ‘Cookout’ Gets Overheated

It was a typical Southern California afternoon, and authorities say Claudia Ortuno was cooking for her boyfriend out on the patio of their apartment.

But what she was “cooking” wasn’t hamburgers or a hot dogs, it was methamphetamine, investigators said Friday.

And, as will sometimes happen to meat, the drug burned, authorities said.

The heat from the makeshift lab spread to a bedroom of the apartment in the 100 block of North East Street about 5 p.m. Thursday, said Gary Hudson, a spokesman for the California Department of Justice lab enforcement team, which is investigating the case.

“The fire became so hot at one point that all of their equipment melted, “ Hudson said.

About 15 firefighters arrived to control the fire, but tenants had already doused much of the blaze, said Mike Feeney, an investigator for the Anaheim Fire Department.

“The fire didn’t cause much damage, but there was a potential for what could have been an astronomical disaster had it spread,” Feeney said. “The fire could have caused many injuries because it was among apartment units that were on top of each other and occupied by people.”

Ortuno, 25, was being held on suspicion of drug possession with intent to sell. Authorities recovered 50 pounds of ephedrine, which would have yielded 50 pounds of methamphetamine, with an estimated street value of $250,000, Hudson said.

By the time authorities arrived, Ortuno’s boyfriend and another man had left. Investigators said they would like to chat with them about the incident.