MOUNT CARMEL -- Authorities in Northumberland county spent most of Tuesday afternoon at a home investigating a possible drug lab.
Police and fire crews were at a home near the corner of South Beech Street and West Sixth Street in Mount Carmel working to decontaminate the suspected methamphetamine lab.
Mount Carmel police said officials stumbled upon the suspected meth lab at 244 South Beech Street as they were serving a probation warrant and a sheriff's warrant on the people living in the home.
Investigators in Mount Carmel arrested a man and his girlfriend Tuesday who they suspect were cooking meth in their South Beech Street home.
Jason Hunsinger, 33, and Kimberly Metcalf, 30, were arrested for the warrants and police said they will be charged in connection with the suspected meth lab.
"I never really knew there were drugs down there. I was surprised," said Zach Camacho of Mount Carmel who lives down the street from the suspected lab.
"That's scary, I mean there's a lot of kids on that street. My little brother and sister used to live on that street," said Valerie Bendas of Marion Heights.
Eight rowhomes were evacuated while investigators cleaned out the home with the suspected meth lab.
Police said if that lab had caught fire or there had been an explosion, many could have been seriously hurt, even killed.
"Especially in this town, they're all rowhomes. I mean fire starts in one, you're going to lose half the block," said neighbor Tim Weaver.
"One wrong thing and just the fire itself could set off a firestorm, half a block of homes, a meth lab only doubles, triples that threat," said Behay.