We have additional information regarding a home in Twentynine Palms that was first raided as an illegal marijuana grow house, then burned down that same night. According to a Sheriff’s press release, deputies along with investigators from the Sheriff’s Gangs/Narcotics Division – Marijuana Enforcement Team serves a search warrant on Thursday (June 24) around 12:30 p.m. at a residence in the 6000 block of Regino Street in Twentynine Palms. The location was determined to be an illegal indoor marijuana grow operation that used advanced lighting, air conditioning, fans, exhaust blowers and air filtering systems to control both the climate inside the residence and the odor of marijuana coming from it. There were no suspects at the residence. Investigators seized 416 marijuana plants.
An electric subpanel at the residence used to power the grow equipment had greatly overloaded electric lines in the house and lines leading to it, endangering the public living nearby. The electrical power to the residence was disconnected by SCE so the faulty wiring and electrical bypass would not create a hazard for the public. Personnel from the Twentynine Palms Code Enforcement Division were called for investigations. The residence was “red tagged” as unsafe to occupy.
Around midnight that same night, San Bernardino County Fire responded to a report of a structure fire at the same location. The fire was knocked down in forty minutes. Bystanders reported that no one lived at the property, but that someone was scene in the vicinity prior to the fire. The Sheriff’s bomb and arson squad was advised. It is unclear at this time if the two incidents are related. Investigators are still determining the cause and origin of the fire.
