Woodhaven Police say a marijuana grow operation is to blame for a condo fire early this morning.
It had happened at the Kirkway Village condos, off Allen Road in Woodhaven.
Fire fighters were called out around 6:30am, after a good Samaritan driving by saw smoke coming from the property.
Fire fighters found a marijuana grow operation in the garage.
"I didn't have any idea, until today,” said neighbor Kim Guy.
The condo owner says he's lived here six years, but began growing his own marijuana with a personal use license just a few months ago.
"He can grow the way he's growing it in a confined space like this,” said Det. Lt. Scott Fraczek with Woodhaven Police. “He has to abide by the number of plants and the amount of dry marijuana that he has."
Police say he was over the limit.
They say Michigan law allows personal license holders to grow 12 plants total.
Detectives found 12 mature plants and nine smaller, unpotted plants.
"He claims he misunderstood what he was growing and the nine smaller plants didn't constitute as a plant,” Fraczek said.
Woodhaven Police confiscated all 21 plants.
While they say he had the appropriate set up for his plants, they believe the venting system and fan were likely the cause of the fire.
"It looks like the fan maybe short circuited or over heated."
The owner, who was asleep at the time, escaped unharmed after the good Samaritan woke him.
Guy says she's happy no one was hurt, but worries it could happen again. "I don't know what's going to happen from here on out, but ya, I'm a little concerned about that."
The fire caused only exterior damage to two condos.
Fraczek says the Wayne County Prosecutor's office will have to decide what to do with the plants.
