It was a fire with a distinctive smell. When flames spread through the basement of a Lumby home on Sunday, they also consumed marijuana plants that were being grown there.
On Monday, Lumby RCMP wouldn’t say whether the grow-op was legal, but they say that no charges are expected.
Lumby fire fighters were called Sunday morning to a blaze on Grandview Avenue to be told by a resident there was a marijuana grow-op inside the home.
“He didn’t want to get anybody hurt so he did admit it was a grow-op,” said Lumby Fire Chief Tony Clayton.
That meant fire fighters had to fight the flames from outside until BC Hydro turned off the power to the home.
“We managed to get some holes in the walls and get some water in from the outside,” said Clayton.
The fire chief estimates the fire caused about $75,000 in damages: fire damage to the grow-op in the basement and smoke damage to the rest of the home.
Read More: Legal marijuana grow-op in Langley goes up in flames
The cause of the blaze is still under investigation.
“It looked like it was possibly a lamp or electrical in nature,” said Clayton.
Everyone got out of the rental house safely including a pet lizard, but they may not be going back anytime soon.
A notice on the door from the Village of Lumby says the house must be cleaned and remediated before people are allowed to live there again.