Stoneham Police Investigating Apparent Marijuana Growing Operation Found After House Fire

After responding to a building fire early Wednesday morning, police and firefighters discovered what appears to be a marijuana growing operation at an apartment in town, said Stoneham police. 

Stoneham Police got a call at 6:58 a.m. Wednesday for a report of smoke coming from the second floor of 10 Hersham St. Firefighters quickly located and knocked down the fire. One firefighter sustained minor injuries.

After the fire was extinguished, crews saw what they thought to be marijuana plants throughout the apartment. Stoneham Police detectives were called to the scene, and an initial investigation indicates that a sizable marijuana plant growing operation was taking place in the apartment. As a result, Stoneham Police department as called in the Drug Enforcement Administration's Clandestine Lab Team to aid in the investigation.

"This was a potentially dangerous situation, and our detectives will now conduct a thorough investigation," Chief McIntyre said. "We will not tolerate the proliferation of illegal drugs in our community."

No one was home when firefighters arrived this morning. 

The investigation is in its early stages, and detectives are still determining an exact quantity of marijuana. There is no word on a cause of the fire at this time.

The incident is currently under investigation by the Stoneham Police department, the Stoneham Fire Investigation Unit, the State Fire Marshal's Office, and the Drug Enforcement Administration Clandestine Lab Team.