UPDATED: Three Arrested After Firefighters Uncover Marijuana in House Fire

Gilroy police took over at the scene of a house fire Friday night after firefighters uncovered what appeared to be a marijuana growing operation, said Capt. Chris Weber of the Gilroy Fire Department.

Firefighters responded to the call at 7723 Laurel Dr. around 8 p.m. Friday, discovering the plants and an extensive ventilation system after breaking open a front window. The step was necessary when holes in the roof weren’t allowing enough heat to escape.

“After we did that, it was evident that there was marijuana in the house,” said the captain.

Police arrested three residents that night for cultivation and intent to sell marijuana, according to Detective Jeff Guerin from the Anti-Crime Team.

Veronica Chavez, 39, Alicia Chavez, 60, and Manuel Fonseca, 26, were booked into Santa Clara County Main Jail for cultivation of marijuana, sales of marijuana, and criminal conspiracy.

Authorities served a search warrant for the residence that night, and the Anti-Crime team will be continuing the investigation, said police Sgt. Pedro Espinoza.

The police involvement put a hold on investigating the cause of the fire, but Weber said that modified power lines could be to blame. Lines had been refashioned to bypass the PG&E electricity meter.

Those lines were melted during the fire and short-circuiting against each other underground, he said.

“You could hear the arcing, and you could feel it in the ground,” said the fire captain.

Flames caused approximately $10,000–$15,000 in damage to a front room of the house, though a more thorough estimate won’t be possible until after the police investigation, Weber said.