Rancho Cucamonga house fire leads to discovery of marijuana grow

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. (KABC) -- A fire at a Rancho Cucamonga home led authorities to discover a large-scale marijuana grow inside the residence.

The Rancho Cucamonga Fire Department responded to a report of a structure fire at 9472 Cedar Glen Ct. shortly after 8 a.m. on Sunday.

After firefighters extinguished the flames, they entered the home to check for possible damage and to clear the structure for occupants. That's when they discovered marijuana plants growing inside several of the rooms and alerted law enforcement.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department's Marijuana Enforcement Team responded to the location and served a search warrant.

Investigators found a large-scale marijuana grow inside the home. More than 890 marijuana plants, in various stages of growth, were discovered inside the house.

Authorities said the grow operation used advanced lighting, air conditioning, fans, exhaust blowers and an air-filtering system to control the climate inside the home as well as the odor coming from the residence.

Officials also found that the suspects were stealing electrical power to facilitate the operation. Investigators believe the fire was caused by the unauthorized or unpermitted electrical wiring used to steal electricity from the main power feed into the home.

The investigation is ongoing. Once caught, the suspect, or suspects, will face charges of cultivating marijuana, utility theft and possibly charges of unlawfully causing a fire of a structure.

If you have any information regarding this investigation, you're urged to contact the sheriff's gangs and narcotics division at (909)387-8400. You can also submit anonymous tip s by calling the We-tip Hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463).