(John Leyba, Denver Post file)

Fire in Arvada leads to double discovery — hash oil and pot plants

First, investigators linked a fire in an Arvada home Wednesday to explosion caused by attempted hash oil extraction. Then police discovered something more — more than 400 marijuana plants in two separate buildings on the property.

Wheat Ridge police said an unidentified suspect has been arrested on charges of cultivation of marijuana in the case, which began at about 4:28 p.m., when police officers were called to a home in the 4100 block of Youngfield Street by firefighters with the Arvada Fire Protection District.


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The firefighters were in the area, police said, when they observed a fire at the home. Firefighters were able to extinguish the flames and observed evidence of a butane explosion due to attempted hash oil extraction. Police found the marijuana plants soon after.

Wheat Ridge building inspectors deemed the buildings uninhabitable due to numerous unsafe modifications. Wheat Ridge police said it will release more information on the case as it becomes available.

This story was first published on DenverPost.com