POT CHARGES PENDING AFTER HOUSE FIRE

A LaSalle man will face drug charges after a suspicious weekend blaze
led police to a marijuana growing operation.

LaSalle police Sgt. Chuck Scanlan said investigators discovered 42 pot
plants in the basement of a gutted home at 6340 Matchette Rd. after an
early morning fire Sunday.

"They were mostly immature plants," said Scanlan. The plants, which
ranged from six inches to two feet, have an estimated street value of
$10,500, said Scanlan.

Lights and other equipment to grow the plants didn't spark the fire,
which started around 6 a.m. in a lean-to at the back of the house. The
home's hydro had not been bypassed, as is often the case with pot grow-ops.

LaSalle police expect to charge the 37-year-old this week. His name
has not been released.

NOT LIVEABLE

The cause of the blaze hasn't been determined, but police consider it
suspicious. The Ontario Fire Marshal's Office is investigating, said
Scanlan. "The house wasn't destroyed by the fire but it certainly
isn't livable. They'll be doing some extensive repairs," said Scanlan.

The LaSalle fire department pegged damage to the house and its
contents at $250,000. Three people were inside when the blaze broke
out.

Scanlan said a man suffering from smoke inhalation was rushed to
Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. He has
been released.

But he wasn't the only one injured inside the Matchette Road house.
The home contained a veritable reptile zoo -- two snakes and a cat
perished in the blaze, while firefighters saved five leopard geckos, a
green iguana and a Savannah monitor.

Paul Pratt, a naturalist at the Ojibway Nature Centre, babysat the
rescued reptiles until they were picked up Monday.