A Langley house that exploded, killing one person and seriously injuring two others, was being used as a drug lab, according to a civil forfeiture action to seize the property filed in B.C. Supreme Court.
It was filed April 16 by the director of civil forfeiture in the provincial attorney general's ministry against the owners of the house at 7340 196 St.
The house caught fire and exploded on Feb. 28, damaging several nearby homes in what the claim described as "a densely populated residential neighbourhood" that has two nearby daycare centres.
Three people are named in the claim: Hung Manh Tran (H. Tran), one of two registered owners of the house, who suffered severe burns in the fire along with Bryan Tran (B. Tran), and Thi Ngoan Lam (T. Lam), the other registered owner, whose remains were found in the collapsed building.
An RCMP search found cannabis, a cannabis preparation/processing laboratory including butane/propane tanks and cannabis packaging materials in the wreckage, the claim said.
It described how the house "exploded, caught on fire, and collapsed" and how H. Tran and B. Tran "exited the residence wearing aprons over their clothes and were transported to hospital with severe burns."
Police were still at the scene of an explosion and house fire in Langley on Saturday. One witness reported a victim said their mom was still inside. pic.twitter.com/5iJ9D8TDEV
— Langley Advance Times (@LangleyTimes) March 1, 2025
An eyewitness to the Feb. 28 explosion, who asked not to be named, told the Langley Advance Times the whole house was quickly engulfed in flames which spread to neighbouring houses.
"It went up really fast," he said.
"The walls went out, the roof went up, and then the roof came down right inside the house. And then about five minutes after that, the fire started and then you could hear crunching and crackling.
He saw two injured men managed to get out.
"You could see one that took the explosion right in his face and then, then the one guy was crying that his mom was still in there."
According to the document filed by lawyer Eliza Wray on behalf of the director of civil forfeiture, "H. Tran, T. Lam, and B. Tran did not have an authorization, licence, or permit to sell or distribute, possess, possess for the purpose of sale or distribution, produce, cultivate, propagate or harvest cannabis," the lawsuit alleges.
"There was also no authorization, licence or permit for the sale, distribution, possession, possession for the purpose of sale or distribution, production, cultivation, propagation or harvesting of cannabis associated with the Property."
H. Tran and T. Lam were convicted in 2004 of production of marijuana (cannabis) and possession of marijuana (cannabis) for the purpose of trafficking. Tran received a 12-month jail sentence followed by 12 months probation. Lam received a 12-month conditional sentence order.
At the 2004 sentencing Madam Justice Deborah Kloegman said the married couple were operating "a large marijuana growing operation which involved some 560 plants in different stages of growth. The crop had a market value of between $315,000 and $504,000. It was grown in dangerous circumstances in the crawlspace of a house, with use of stolen electricity, and in close proximity to water. Removal of the operation caused about $30,000 worth of damage to the rented premises."
In the application to have the Langley site turned over to the province, the claim maintains "all or some portion of the defendant’s interest in the property is proceeds of unlawful activity because it was acquired, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from the unlawful activity.'
The lawsuit contains claims that have not been proven in court.
