Firefighters responding to chimney fire find marijuana instead

[PVFD233 68]

from poughkeepsiejournal.com

Firefighters responding to chimney fire find marijuana instead

Firefighters in the Town of Rochester failed to find a fire when they responded to an alarm Thursday at a house on Route 209.

But police said the search for the fire yielded something else: 28 marijuana plants and the arrest of the man accused of growing them.

According to state police, firefighters were called to the home at 4775 Route 209 in Rochester Thursday afternoon after they were advised there was a chimney fire in progress.

When they arrived at about 2:45 p.m., they couldn’t find the fire. But as they checked the walls in various rooms, they reportedly discovered the marijuana plants.

The firefighters advised state police, who also conducted a search of the house and reportedly found the marijuana plants and an unregistered .38 caliber revolver. The troopers then arrested 24-year-old Ernie Ferreira, who gave his address as Allentown, Pa.

Ferreira was charged with criminal possession of marijuana and criminal possession of a weapon, both felonies. He was jailed on $20,000 bail pending an appearance next week in Rochester Town Justice Court.

[JBE 328]

Interesting read. Brings a whole new meaning to things going up in smoke. Wonder if they mean by searching the walls, they mean using a thermal imager, Or, was this stuff in plain view??

Brings up some legal questions, I would think.

[IzzyEng4 427]

"Chief 1 to Engine 1"

"Engine 1"

"Bring in an ax, a halligan, two dozen cookies and your own water bongs!"

"10- puff puff pass"

[201/65 94]

This happened in my district back in August of 06, we we responded to a fire in 'vacant' residential structure. Fire originated in a bedroom on the second floor, after the fire was knocked & the FI's started doing thier thing they found that the place was being used by someone for pot growing. I rode the seat on the 2nd due, and in the end I had to fill out a contamination report. The fire was only a few days before I needed to take a drug test for Mobile Life, so I had to bring a letter from my chief, & a copy of the contamination report to the HR director. Nothing came up on the test, but we were able to cover all bases as a precaution.