Pottstown blaze leads to discovery of pot ‘grow house’

Pottstown >> Police are investigating the extent of an alleged marijuana manufacturing operation uncovered during a fire last week.

As police were evacuating 37 E. Second St. Friday after a fire broke out next door, Capt. Robert Thomas said they discovered an illegal “grow house.”

“We were there as a result of the fire,” he said. “During the course of contacting people for evacuation, paraphernalia and marijuana was found.”

A search warrant allowed investigators to find the suspected marijuana and equipment used for manufacturing inside the row home Friday night. Multiple arrests are pending the results of the ongoing investigation. Thomas explained there was more than one person living at the address, and investigators don’t want to make any moves without having the facts first.

“We don’t want to arrest the wrong person,” he said.

The fire, which is estimated to have caused $150,000 in damage to the home and 39 E. Second St., began when “a kitchen incident” was thrown out the back door of 39 E. Second St. and the fire caught the rear of the home.

Two dogs, one cat and one of the residents of the home had to be rescued from the front porch roof with the help of some neighbors, Pottstown Fire Chief Richard Lengel said at the time. The fire lead to the death of numerous cats, including a mother and her litter of kittens, and three parrots.

The home at 37 E. Second St. was vacant, said Pottstown Fire Marshal William J. “Chip” Smale at the time.

Staff writer Evan Brandt contributed to this report.