Robert Triggs Charged With Running Meth Lab After Fire At Mansfield Home

MANSFIELD (CBS) – A meth lab was discovered after a fire at a home in Mansfield early Tuesday morning and the man who lives there, 48-year-old Robert Triggs, is now facing charges.

Firefighters were called to Triggs' house on Stearns Avenue just before 2 a.m. and found a fire in a bedroom on the second floor. Everyone in the home got out safe.

But after the fire was put out, the fire investigator found what police said "appeared to be chemicals used in the manufacturing of unlawful narcotics."

A hazardous materials team, lab specialists and the bomb squad from the State Police were called in to process the evidence.

"Evidence gathered at this time suggests the chemicals and related items in the home were being used to manufacture methamphetamine," State Police spokesman Dave Procopio said in a statement.

Triggs was charged with possession of narcotics and manufacturing methamphetamine. He was taken into custody and was arraigned in Attleboro District Court Tuesday. A judge set bail at $5,000 for Triggs and ordered him to stay drug-free.

"Surprised yeah. You don't think something like that is going on right there," a neighbor told WBZ-TV.

"It could have been a lot worse, especially with a day care across the street, little kids. Who knows what could have happened?" another neighbor said.

"Certainly, it is concerning because it affects everyone within this neighborhood, so I'm not happy to hear that," a woman told WBZ.