Firefighters put out blazing cannabis crop

Three fire engines attended the fire on Glasshouse Lane, Kilnhurst at 9.45am, accompanied by several officers.

Firefighters entered the house in breathing apparatus and put out the fire “quite quickly,” a South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue spokesman said.

He added that no-one had been in the property when crews arrived and that no-one had been injured. All three crews had left the scene by 11am.

Eyewitness Neil Hunt (33) runs neighbouring business Kilnhurst Tyres. He said: “I saw smoke pouring from someone’s roof and went to have a look.

“The guy who rents the place only goes there once a week, so it wasn’t too hard to guess what he was doing.

“It certainly smells like someone has been growing cannabis there — it absolutely stinks.”

A police helicopter circled over Kilnhurst as police and fire officers examined the property, inside which they found the remains of a cannabis plantation.

Initial investigations suggest that the fire was started after an electrical fault. Chief

Inspector Ian Womersley said: “This incident highlights the dangers associated with drug production.

“Thankfully on this occasion nobody was hurt but next time might be different.”

He urged anyone with information relating to this morning’s fire to contact police on 101 and quote incident number 219 of Wednesday, January 23.

He also asked anyone with details of drug production to call police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.