FREE
13TH - 19TH APRIL 2021 - EDITION 885
Tel: 966 701 060 | office@costablancapeople.com | costablancapeople.com
Your Essential Weekly Read
Fire fighters stumble upon drug plantation in Torrevieja Fire fighters were in for a surprise when they came across a marijuana plantation when called out to tackle a fire at a residence in Torrevieja. The incident took place on Saturday when, just after 11.30am, emergency services received
reports of an explosion and fire on Calle Río Tajo in the Altos del Limonar Urbanisation on the outskirts of Torrevieja. Fire crews are used to tackling all sorts of situations and are trained for a number
of scenarios not associated with actual fires – opening doors during emergency rescues, cutting car crash victims from vehicles and animal rescue. However, fire fighters in Torrevieja this weekend were shocked when they were called to a fire which had broken out on the ground floor of a semi detached house in the area. Not only did the team discover a fire, but also a comprehensive marijuana plantation. One of the possibilities being considered by investigators is that the explosion and subsequent blaze could have been produced by an overload in the electrical supply necessary for the “indoor” cultivation of the plants. The fire caused significant damage in several rooms of the townhouse. The occupants of the house fled the scene of the fire, although not immediately, claim local reports.
Although it was nearby neighbours who alerted emergency services about the fire and not the occupants themselves, sources say that those responsible for the plantation would have been monitoring the area for a few minutes until the Local Police and the Guardia Civil arrived, at which point they hastily left the area. Fire fighters protected themselves with breathing apparatus and entered the property to successfully tackle the blaze. Discoveries of marijuana plantations in residential homes have been on the up in recent months, partly as a result of investigations carried out by the Guardia Civil in the region who are cracking down on such activities. This last week alone, the central command of the Alicante region Guardia Civil reported three such interventions - in Redován (see page 9 of this week’s edition), Torrevieja and
SEE PAGE 18
Orihuela Costa. In each case, the complete house or basement was dedicated to cultivation, in most cases with fraudulent hookups to the electricity supply.