Click here to subscribe today or Login.
HAZLETON — A fire in the basement of a South Cedar Street apartment building resulted in the discovery of a “grow house” in which more than 200 marijuana plants were cultivated, according to Police Chief Jerry Speziale.
Deputy Fire Chief Brian Mandak said the fire was called in at about 9 p.m., with emergency responders on scene within minutes and the fire out by 10:30 p.m.
He said the fire was caused by a fault in the structure’s electrical system.
Mandak said 12 people were displaced from the building and that no one was hurt.
Mandak limited his comments in regard to the discovery of the marijuana plants, saying, “when we went into the building, we discovered that some residents had issues.”
He said a pet had been rescued from the building.
Damage was limited to the basement of the building with the rest of the structure experiencing heavy smoke damage, Mandak said.
Mandak said the landlord was at the scene and would be making every effort to repair the building and fix its electrical system.
Speziale said as of Thursday afternoon, the fire was still under investigation and no arrests had been made.
He said city narcotics officers were working with the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office on the case.
“The police department is backing into this,” he said. “With the Hazleton Fire Department, of course, originally being on scene.”
According to Mandak, the Red Cross was at the scene assisting those who were displaced by the blaze.
