Category: News and Views
WADSWORTH, Ohio -- Firefighters dousing a fire in a new home were confused
when the man they thought was the owner suddenly left -- until they found
$700,000
worth of marijuana plants in the basement, officials said.
"It seemed so strange to me" that the man left, said Wadsworth Fire Chief
Ralph Copley. "If it were my home burning, I'd want to be there."
After firefighters extinguished the fire, which started in the attic early
Friday morning, they found 239 marijuana plants filling one-fourth of the
basement,
which was wired throughout for indoor plant growing, authorities said.
"It was unreal," Copley said. "In 24 years, I've never seen a fire quite
like that."
The Medina County Drug Task Force and firefighters on Friday confiscated
items from the home, including peat moss, 1,000-watt bulbs and large
reflecting
discs. The basement had no fire damage.
The marijuana-cultivating system was wired to the home's electrical system
in a way that bypassed the meter, said Michael Barnhardt, acting director of
the task force. Such wiring would help a grower avoid the large electric
bills that clue in investigators, he said.
Copley said the cause of the fire was unknown, but it did not appear to be
related to the marijuana operation or electrical wiring. It caused about
$150,000
in damage.
The home, bought for $229,000 less than one month ago, is owned by a Lan Le.
There is no telephone listing under that name in the northeast Ohio city 30
miles south of Cleveland.
After getting back to the station the firemen consumed six bags of potato chips each--I think they call that the munchies.
yeah, you know that pot wasnt waisted.
LOL blbobby.
Feck! losing that much gear would give me nightmares