COOKING POT SENDS THREE KIDS TO HOSPITAL

Three infants -- all under 20 months old -- were taken to hospital
suffering from smoke inhalation Saturday night after a man started a
fire in their apartment while cooking drugs.

Winnipeg police spokesman Sgt. Kelly Dennison said a 23-year-old man
is facing arson charges after officers discovered a fire that broke
out in an apartment in the 700 block of Wellington Avenue was sparked
when the man was boiling marijuana to make cannabis resin, commonly
known as "oil."

The fire caused $2,000 damage and was out before firefighters arrived,
but the smoke was enough to send the three young children to hospital
in stable condition.

"It shows a total lack of responsibility," said Dennison, referring to
the fact the three children were in the suite at the time.

Dennison did not know the relationship between the suspect and the
children.

Platoon Chief Terry Gardiner, a senior member of the Winnipeg Fire
Paramedic Service, said arson investigators estimate that drugs are
responsible for between 15 and 20 fires a year in Winnipeg, and occur
as frequently as once a month.

In November 2004, police publicly scolded a Burrows Avenue couple who
nearly burned down their house while cooking pot when their four
children were in the house.

Firefighters discovered a marijuana grow operation in a bedroom in
their house, and the couple was charged with drug production and
trafficking.

The man arrested after Saturday's fire is facing an arson charge, but
police are still investigating.

Dennison was unsure whether drug charges would be laid or whether a
second man who was in the apartment at the time would also be charged.