SANTA ROSA (KRON) — The Santa Rosa Fire Department found evidence of marijuana production during a garage fire Friday morning, Santa Rosa police Sgt. Rich Celli said.
Celli said the fire department got a call about an explosion and fire in a garage at a home at 4012 Shadowhill Drive in east Santa Rosa. According to Celli, the explosion caused the house’s front wall to separate from the garage’s foundation.
That shattered windows and sent glass into a neighbor’s fence, police said.
Fifty-one-year-old Michael Weckerle and 45-year-old Rochelle Wattz suffered from smoke inhalation, as they tried to put out the fire. However, a girl was not injured, according to Celli.
Police narcotics officers responded and detectives served a search warrant after firefighters said there was evidence of marijuana possession in the garage, Celli said.
Detectives found 19 pounds of partially processed marijuana and packaging and sales evidence indicating the marijuana was being processed for distribution, Celli said.
Detectives and fire investigators determined neither a natural gas line nor a visible heat source caused the fire, and they believe the source of the blaze was removed from the garage before firefighters arrived, Celli said.
Neither Weckerle not Wattz would speak to the detectives about the source of the fire or the partially processed marijuana, Celli said. The source of the fire is unknown and suspicious, and police cannot determine if there was a honey oil lab in garage, Celli said.
Detectives are looking for witnesses, and the results of their investigation will be sent to the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office for possible prosecution, Celli said.Bay City News contributed to this report