Marijuana Plants May Have Fueled Detroit House Fire
DETROIT (WWJ) - A fire at a two-family flat on Detroit's west side may have been fueled by medical marijuana.
Homeowner Martin Goings admitted he had pot plants growing at his home, but he said it's legal because he has a medical marijuana card.
Goings said, at least for now, he'll have to find another way to treat his seizures and arthritis after all his plants burned up in the blaze.
Goings told WWJ's Laura Bonnell he was sleeping inside the house when he awoke to the smell of smoke.
"I kept hearing this crackling noise, so I went and opened the door to the upstairs and it was too smoky and so I just closed it back up and went back to my room and the ceiling came down," Goings said.
Fire Battalion Chief Robert Brooks said the house, in the 1100 block of St. Mary Street, south of I-96 near Plymouth Road, is not livable following the fire, that apparently started in a back room on the first floor.
Brooks said everyone inside the home was safely able to make it out without any injuries.
It wasn't immediately clear what caused the fire, although Brooks said it might have been a space heater.
An investigation is ongoing.
