MIFFLINBURG -- Patrick Mullany, 59, was led out of the Mifflinburg Police Department in handcuffs Friday afternoon, on his way to jail.
Mullany is accused of cooking methamphetamine in his Mifflinburg apartment, causing an explosion and fire.
It happened on Thompson Street in a home that is divided into apartments.
Police say when they arrived, Mullany tried to run away.
They caught him a short distance away and say he admitted to cooking drugs.
“I seen when he was over at the cop car standing with handcuffs on and he was just shaking his head and that,” said Jeff Sibble of Mifflinburg.
Investigators say Mullany suffered minor burns.
No one else was injured.
Fire crews doused the flames quickly as neighbors looked on.
"I'm not surprised. I'm really not surprised. There's been really a lot of activity going on over there. In fact, a police lives right next door, everyone knows what's been going on,” said Darlene Davis, who lives across the street from the explosion.
Neighbors and police say what happened on Thompson Street could have been a lot worse; many people could have been injured if that explosion was bigger or if the fire had spread.
"It's very volatile, it's volatile for the fire companies, it's volatile for the state police coming here and our officers, our police department coming here, it's very dangerous,” said Mifflinburg Police Chief Fred Dyroff.
"It's scary because we have kids up and down the street, it's scary. I hope this town cleans up,” said Davis.
People who lived in other apartments in the building were allowed back home after that explosion and fire.