July 4, 2009 in City

House fire reveals marijuana operation

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SPOKANE – More than 40 marijuana plants were discovered in the basement of a Spokane home that caught fire Saturday morning.

The Spokane Fire Department responded to the fire in the 100 block of East Sinto around 4:30 a.m. Seven adults and three children lived at the home, which had been converted into apartments, according to a news release.

After firefighters found what appeared to be a marijuana grow operation in the basement, the police department obtained a search warrant.

One of the tenants claimed to have a medical marijuana card, but couldn’t immediately produce it, police said.

The fire was started by a malfunctioning electrical box fan, which had been used in a window.

An adult and a 2-year-old child were hospitalized for injuries, fire officials said. The 2-year-old received second-degree burns.

The Red Cross is helping the tenants displaced by the fire.

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