More Than 500 Marijuana Plants Found in Massachusetts House Fire

June 11, 2014— -- Carelessness and cannabis could have caused a two-alarm fire in Massachusetts that led to the discovery of more than 500 marijuana plants this morning.

A mailman spotted smoke pouring from the second floor of a house in Stoneham, Mass., just before 7 a.m., authorities said. He alerted the neighbors then called the police, according to Stoneham Police Chief James McIntyre.

After the fire was put out, firefighters found more than 500 marijuana plants all over the apartment, McIntyre said, adding that one firefighter sustained minor injuries.

No one was at home at the time and no arrests have been made, though police know who lives in the apartment, according to John Guilfoil, spokesman for the Stoneham Police Department.

A joint investigation is underway by the Stoneham Police Department, the Stoneham Fire Investigation Unit, the State Fire Marshal’s Office, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

“This was a potentially dangerous situation, and our detectives will now conduct a thorough investigation,” McIntyre said. “We will not tolerate the proliferation of illegal drugs in our community.”

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.