Authorities discovered a meth lab in a resident’s room at an Ohio nursing home three weeks ago, after a fiery explosion that fatally burned a man. The case has attracted national media attention.

How could a meth lab operate undetected in a nursing home?

As odd as it might seem to those unfamiliar with the meth trade, law enforcement officials say it is entirely possible that someone could have used a room at the home as a makeshift lab without attracting the attention of residents or employees.

Ohio narcotics investigators have found clandestine labs for manufacturing methamphetamine, an illegal and highly addictive stimulant, in all manner of places over the years — barns in the countryside, houses in the suburbs, abandoned buildings in cities.

Meth makers once needed a room full of apparatus, including cookers. But today they often shun the cooking process in favor of a “one pot” method in which a toxic stew is prepared in a 2-liter bottle and then shaken to create a reaction.

The latest “meth labs” can fit inside a shopping bag. Police and fire officials have declined to release details about the lab operation or the fire, saying the case is still under investigation.