House fire reveals marijuana operation

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.