Fire reveals likely meth lab in Chester
A Chester resident who started a fire in his rowhouse Saturday wasn't baking cakes or grilling burgers for the Fourth of July - he was cooking meth, police said.
Firefighters were called to the house on 22nd Street near Wetherill about 6:20 p.m. The resident, who has not yet been identified, put the flames out on his own, police said, but the house was still smoking when firefighters arrived, giving them cause to enter.
What they found inside was a variety of chemicals, prescription drugs, hoses, funnels and other items indicative of a meth lab, police said.
Because of the highly-volatile nature of the substances used to make the addictive drug, police said, the area was evacuated until the scene could be secured.
One man was taken into custody.
He remains at the Delaware County Prison, an official said. *
