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Police: Man caught cooking meth in Longwood storage unit

A Longwood storage center was shut down for several hours Tuesday while Drug Enforcement Agency agents cleared out chemicals they said were being used to make meth.

Police said they found the drugs cooking inside a storage unit at All American Self Storage near State Road 434 and Florida Central Parkway in Longwood.

According to police, the small space in which they found drugs made it a dangerous situation.
"The fire engine is standing by because we have the potential of fire as well as explosion. It's a very volatile atmosphere," said Longwood Fire Chief William Gulbrandsen.

Steven Williams, 43, was taken into custody. Police said he was making meth in the storage unit.

"It's just crazy. We always see a lot of people coming in and out of there, but I never would have guessed," said Justin Brown, who watched as agents worked at the scene.

Police said managers of the storage center saw Williams go into the storage unit early Tuesday morning. They said he didn't come back out.

According to police, the chemicals found inside were enough to cause serious damage.

"In a confined space we could have a smaller version of the West, Texas incident, but on a smaller scale," said Fire Chief William Gulbrandsen.

Police said Williams' girlfriend showed up at the storage unit at the same time they did.

"We asked if she knew what was going on in the unit, but she didn't want to talk," said

People who work near the units told Channel 9 reporter Karla Ray that they'll be watching more closely for illegal activity.

"I would have never thought it would be right here, so it makes you think," said Brown.

LONGWOOD, Fla. — Follow Karla Ray on Twitter at @KRayWFTV for live updates from the scene.