Portable Meth Lab Prompts Hazmat Call Sunday Afternoon

San Marcos Police were responding to a suspicious person call about 2 p.m. when they discovered the backpack in a transient camp behind the abandoned building.

The San Marcos Fire Department’s Hazmat unit and the Hays County Narcotics Task Force dismantled a portable methamphetamine lab at the abandoned Burger King at 1011 N IH-35 Sunday afternoon. 

San Marcos Police were responding to a suspicious person call about 2 p.m. when they discovered the backpack in a transient camp behind the abandoned building.

A police officer opened the backpack and found several containers inside. One of them held an acidic powder that made contact with the officer’s skin, giving him a small, light burn. The officer was treated and released for the burn by EMS.

Detectives arrived on scene and recognized that the items found in the bag were the makings of a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory.

Officers called the SMFD Hazmat unit, the Fire Marshal’s Office, and the Hays County Narcotics Task Force to dismantle the lab and make the area safe. A third-party hazmat company was called to finish disposing of the substances in the backpack.

Police have not identified anyone connected to the lab, and no arrests were made. Officers found two people behind the business while responding to the initial suspicious person call and asked them to leave.

The area was cleared and declared safe at 10 p.m.