Marijuana grow to blame for house going up in smoke

A malfunctioning fan in a bedroom where marijuana was being grown is believed to have started a fire that scorched the room and stunned the homeowner -- who had no idea her tenants were using the entire house to grow pot.

â?�I had no idea,â?� said Lavina Collenberg, who was called to the home on Alice Avenue just before 8 a.m. Thursday.

Arcata Fire Protection District Chief John McFarland said someone saw smoke pouring from the home and called.

â?�It's the typical destroy your landlord's home to grow your marijuana,â?� McFarland said. â??About 80 percent of Arcata house fires are related to dope growing.â?�

No one was home when firefighters arrived and they had to force their way in.

McFarland estimated that the damage to the bedroom is about $5,000, but Collenberg believed it would be higher.

Humboldt County Sheriff's deputies responded after the firefighters discovered the marijuana, which according to Collenberg and McFarland, was being grown in every room of the house.

â?�It's everywhere,â?� Collenberg said. â??Even the kitchen is a mess.â?�

Collenberg said there were five Proposition 215 recommendations tacked to the wall.

Deputy Todd Fulton said his preliminary look into the grow indicates it's not illegal.

â?�It looks as though they're within the (county Proposition 215) guidelines,â?� Fulton said.

Fulton said there may be code violations for electrical issues, but based on his initial findings it doesn't look like it's a criminal case.

Collenberg left the scene Thursday to get the names of the tenants for the Sheriff's Department.



Only in humboldt! lol. We dont care if ya grow a house full of weed, just have some common sense on wiring is what the fire dept is saying.

hell yeah, the system worked :p

lol .........love it!