Police find cannabis farm at blaze house
POLICE have confirmed a cannabis farm was found inside a Northumberland home which was devastated by a huge blaze.
Dozens of firefighters spent six hours at a terraced house on Marlow Street in Blyth on Friday night which had been engulfed by flames.
Huge plumes of smoke could be seen rising from the building with six appliances and an aerial ladder platform in attendance at the height of the fire.
The blaze broke out at around 8.30pm with firefighters arriving at the scene and cordoning off Marlow Street and a section of the A193.
Crews tackled the blaze for several hours from above the burning building and at ground level with the property’s roof collapsing.
There were no occupants at the time of the fire with no injuries reported.
Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service said an investigation into the cause of the blaze is under way.
Now, Northumbria Police has confirmed that a cannabis farm was located at the property with the electricity being by-passed.
Officers have seized the drugs and inquiries are ongoing.
A Northumbria Police spokesman said: “At 8.39pm on Friday (April 9), police were alerted by the fire service to a fire inside a house on Marlow Street in Blyth.
“Officers attended and the fire was extinguished. Thankfully, nobody was injured but an investigation is ongoing into the cause of the fire.
“Inside the property, police located a cannabis farm and found that the electricity had been by-passed. The drugs have since been seized and inquiries are ongoing.
“Anyone with information is asked to contact 101 quoting reference 1065 090421 or independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”