BRISTOL — Police surrounded a Pleasant Street apartment house and closed a half-mile section of the busy road late Wednesday afternoon after reportedy finding a meth lab inside.

Police Chief Michael Lewis said a 911 caller told authorities that there was a methamphetamine lab in one of the house's four apartments. When they reached the scene, police found the lab, but its builders had fled, police said.

Lewis said Cheryl Fisher, 53, and Chris Corum 36, were running an "active lab" in the house, and that a handgun was taken from the apartment when they left.

He said the two should be considered armed and dangerous.

"The ones who make it are the ones who use it, so it would be fair to conclude that they were both using (meth) at the time they left," Lewis said. "A gun was taken, so they are considered dangerous."

Police and fire crews evacuated the other tenants of the house, which is owned by Marion Grout, authorities said. Police evacuated the neighborhood and closed that section of the street, also known as Route 104. Drivers along the road, which is the main highway between Bristol and Danbury, were sent on a 5-mile detour around the area.

Lewis said Grout, who was at the scene Wednesday evening, was not aware of the lab and was not suspected of any involvement.

When state and federal narcotics investigators arived shortly after 7 p.m., police began removing the lab, a dangerous process, Lewis said, as the chemicals used in producing methamphetamine sometimes explode, Lewis said.

“They are very dangerous, particularly to the people doing it, but for us as well,” Lewis said.

Some of the narcotics agents wore stocking masks and asked not to be identified, saying they were undercover agents. Lewis said the delay in removing the lab was also because drug agents needed to obtain appropriate search warrants.

Neighbors said they didn't know the suspects and weren't aware of any illegal or dangerous activity at the house.

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Dan Seufert may be reached at dseufert@newstote.com.