[symple_googlemap title=”” location=”1835 Whittier Ave, Costa Mesa, CA” height=”300″ zoom=”13″]
A fire in a building across the street from a Costa Mesa elementary school led to the discovery of a pot-growing operation, where the electricity was being stolen, police said Wednesday.
No immediate arrests were made Tuesday afternoon, but police seized about 250 pot plants, several bags of untrimmed pot and about 40 pounds of trimmed marijuana valued at more than $20,000, Costa Mesa police Lt. Paul Dondero said.
Firefighters were sent to fire in a commercial complex at 1835 Whittier Ave. about 4:40 p.m., he said.
An electrical box in the rear of the building caught fire, possibly because electricity that was be routed around the meter to avoid charges and detection, he said.
Police were attempting to identify the growers. Anyone with more information about the fire or the pot growers was asked to call investigators at (714) 754-5205.
— City News Service