OC Fire Burns One Down, Leads to Pot Farm

Where there's fire, there's marijuana

Officials are still trying to hash out the details of a hidden marijuana operation discovered after crews put out a nearby blaze.

Santa Ana Firefighters contained the one-unit fire Thursday night, and then found the indoor marijuana farm as they were checking the multi-unit building to see if the fire had spread.

"During that search, we discovered a marijuana-growing facility inside one of the suites -- Unit Q along the backside of the complex," said Santa Ana Fire Capt. Ben Gonzales, adding that the unit did not appear to have a business name listed outside its door.

Inside the suite, located at 1118 East Walnut St., were three 4-foot-high plants with leaves and four 4-foot-high stalks with no leaves, said Santa Ana police Commander Larry Coleman.

Officers also scored a plastic lawn bag filled with 10 pounds of marijuana leaves, 22 newly potted plants and some growing lamps, Coleman said.

Whoever was behind the marijuana-growing effort was not immediately located.

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