A fire to a home on Mulberry Court became a crime scene Tuesday when authorities realized it had been converted into an illegal marijuana grow, police and fire officials alleged.
A call came out at 2:51 p.m. for the fire in the 1100 block of Mulberry Court on the east side of Hollister. One of the bedrooms was on fire when crews arrived, and the blaze ended up doing “pretty significant damage” to the home,” Fire Chief Bob Martin Del Campo said.
The chief said there weren’t visible flames but there was black smoke. It turns out authorities found more than 500 marijuana plants in the home, and believe it was electrical in nature and started in the attic.
Crews had the fire out in under 10 minutes, but then halted the operation due to it being a potential crime scene. Del Campo said firefighters left the scene intact for investigators. The chief also mentioned how the department called in help from San Juan Bautista, and that Aromas crews covered the City of Hollister during the incident. There were eight pieces of equipment and 18 firefighters on scene, the chief said.
Hollister police were directly involved in this fire incident, too, with the marijuana aspect. The police department released a statement Wednesday about it. According to the statement:
At 2:51 p.m. Tuesday, police and fire responded to a structure fire on Mulberry Court. The investigation revealed the residence had been converted into an illegal marijuana grow. A total of 502 marijuana plants were located and the residents fled the scene.
The Hollister Fire Department and Hollister Police Department were dispatched to a structure fire in the 1100 block of Mulberry Court on the afternoon of July 26, 2016. Initial reports were that the residence was a possible methamphetamine lab. The Office of Emergency Services and the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team were activated to assist with the lab. It was soon discovered to not be a lab, but an illegal large scale residential marijuana grow.
Due to the quick response of the Hollister Fire Department, the neighboring residences were not damaged. The cause of the fire is believed to be from the illegal diversion of electricity to bypass the PG&E system. The additional electricity was needed to operate the large fans and extra lights for the illegal operation. The internal walls of the residence had been changed to make the growing operation larger.
The Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team seized a total of 502 marijuana plants and other evidence of the operation. The house was deemed not habitable due to the structural changes, holes in floors and damage from the fire. Due to staining it is believed that the used fertilizers and chemicals from the illegal operation were disposed of in the municipal sewage system.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to call the Hollister Police Department. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call WeTip at 1-800-78-CRIME. Calls to WeTip can lead to rewards of up to $1,000.
