GROW-OPS A BURNING ISSUE FOR FIREFIGHTERS

VANCOUVER -- A house containing a marijuana grow operation is 24 times more
likely to catch fire than a normal home, according to a new study.

As part of its massive study of B.C.'s marijuana trade, researchers at the
University College of the Fraser Valley reviewed the official incident
reports for every fire at a single-family dwelling in Surrey from 1997 to
2003. They found that, during that period, fires at grow-ops accounted for
4.7 per cent of all house fires in Surrey -- reaching a high of 8.7 per
cent in 2003.

Based on projections about the total number of grow operations in Surrey,
the researchers estimated that one in 22 growing operations caught fire
during the study period -- a rate 24 times higher than for the city as a whole.

Grow-op fires also caused more devastation -- with the average fire
resulting in twice as much damage ($59,307) as a normal house fire ($31,282).

Surrey fire chief Len Garis said that is partly because buildings with grow
operations are often unoccupied, meaning the fire isn't reported until a
neighbour notices it.

Garis said grow-ops are more likely to catch fire because the use of
electrical bypasses and makeshift wiring increases the chance of wires
overheating. In a normal home, if an appliance catches fire, a tripping
mechanism usually stops the flow of electricity into the house. But in grow
operations with electrical bypasses, that tripping mechanism has been
disabled -- meaning electricity is often still coursing into the home when
firefighters arrive.

The situation is made even more dangerous by firefighters using water to
douse the fire.

"There's a risk of electrocution for the firefighters and entrapment in
these wiring mechanisms," said Garis. "Our firefighters have been shocked
from time to time."

None of Surrey's firefighters have been seriously injured or killed from an
electric shock, said Garis, but he fears it's just a matter of time.

"It's a question of not if, but when, is somebody going to be hurt," he said.

And electric shocks are just one of a host of hazards firefighters confront
in a grow operation.

"Everything from booby traps to weapons on site to propane -- things you
don't (normally) find in a residential setting," said Garis.