An East County home concealing a marijuana-growing operation was damaged Tuesday in a fire apparently sparked by a jury-rigged and illegal electricity hookup, authorities reported.
The non-injury blaze in the 10100 block of Campo Road in Casa de Oro erupted about 9 a.m., according to the San Miguel Consolidated Fire Protection District.
After extinguishing the flames, personnel discovered a cannabis- cultivation setup, agency spokesman Leonard Villarreal said. Agents with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration were called in to investigate.
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Preliminary evidence indicated that the cause of the fire was an illicit power connection to a utility pole near the residence, Villarreal said.
A dog that was inside the otherwise unoccupied house at the time of the fire was turned over to animal-control personnel.
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Investigators set the structural monetary losses at $40,000.
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