POLICE have dismissed reports a drug lab was to blame for an explosion that left a man in a serious condition with burns to his body.
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The explosion rocked the usually quiet village of Yetman about 7.30am last Friday, and sent emergency services scrambling to treat a man who sustained serious burns to half of his body.
The 52-year-old man was yesterday in a serious but stable condition in Sydney’s Royal North Shore Hospital.
New England crime manager Detective Inspector Ann Joy told The Leader police had ruled out a drug lab as the cause of the explosion.
“It was a substantial explosion,” she said. “We’re looking into whether it is suspicious.”
Detective Inspector Joy said the man was not a local, but was visiting the area when the explosion occurred.
“We have spoken to a number of people already, we’re just waiting to speak with him when he is ready,” she said.
Inverell detectives have taken over the case and investigators spent much of the weekend trying to piece together what sparked the explosion and the circumstances leading up to it.
The area was deemed safe about six hours after the explosion and was handed to police where it has since been the subject of ongoing investigations.
“We’ve attended the scene, we’ve conducted a crime scene examination and are further investigating the source of the incident and it’s connections to the injured gentleman,” Detective Inspector Joy said.