ESCAMBIA COUNTY - A mother and her son are facing drug charges after deputies say they nearly burned down the home they were living in.

The blaze broke out at a house on Muldoon Road and Nicholas Lane in Escambia County, around three Wednesday morning.

Channel Three's Jake Peterson joins us from the scene with the very latest.

Investigators say the family was cooking meth in the kitchen when the components exploded.

The windows are shattered and one of the rooms was nearly destroyed.

Deputies say the 22-year-old son was next to the meth and he was badly burned.

"Oh my God, I had no idea anything like this was going on."

Edith Herrington rents this home to Darlene Heidbreder and her 22-year-old son Dakota.

She also lives directly behind the home.

"I'm very fortunate, I feel even better because my elderly sister lives in that house, and she's 84. She was afraid the fire was going to jump and go to her house."

Firefighters were able to stop the blaze from spreading.

Herrington says the family was always quiet and respectful.

"Surprises me, I'm floored. Yeah, I had no idea, and had I known that anything like was going on...in a heartbeat...I'm a Christian, I don't like stuff like this."

Deputies say the meth-making operation ended up burning 60% of Dakota's body.

He was taken by LifeFlight to USA Medical Center in Mobile.

His mother was not injured in the blaze.

"I asked her where it started, and she said she didn't know. She said she was asleep on the couch."

But deputies say both family members are responsible for what happened here.

They confiscated several meth-making materials from the home.

"Be careful who you rent to, and I don't know...I just don't know."

Dakota is in critical condition at USA Medical Center in Mobile.Meth-Making Mom and Son Facing Charges After House Fire