Florida Firefighters Find Pot Plants and Flames

Sept. 19, 2006
Faulty wiring for grow lights sparked the house fire.

Police are looking for whoever is responsible for growing marijuana with an estimated street value of $250,000 to $300,000 inside a Hollywood home.

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After responding to a fire at the home, firefighters found nearly 100 pot plants growing inside, NBC 6's Ari Odzer reported.

Hollywood police spokesman Tony Rode said that if it hadn't been for the fire, the plants would probably not have been discovered. He said that bad wiring used to provide lights for the plants started the sparks.

"It appears that they were illegally stealing some of the electricity to facilitate the operation," Rode said.

Indoor pot farms use a tremendous amount of electricity, Odzer reported, which is a red flag to Florida Power & Light.

Neighbors told NBC 6 that they never saw anyone in the house and they are not pleased now that they know what was growing behind closed doors.

"I'm surprised, but not surprised," said one neighbor. "I see it on the news everywhere else but not in our little neighborhood."

"We have kids that play outside," another resident said. "It's not cool."

Police now have to find out who is running the operation. They said they will start with the homeowner to see if the person was renting the home to anybody in the pot farming business.

Copyright 2006 by NBC6.net. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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