Heat lamp at cannabis grow sparks house fire in Sheffield suburb

Firefighters were called to Boyce Street, Walkley, at 6.40am yesterday following reports of a blaze.

Upon arrival they found a smoke logged terrace house and, with no confirmation that the property was empty, breathing apparatus wearers conducted a search before extinguishing the fire – which was located in the basement.

Nobody was in the property at the time of the incident.

The cause of the fire is understood to have beee a heat lamp falling onto some plastic insulation.

It has been confirmed by South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue that the heat lamp was being in a cannabis growing operation.

Crews left the scene at around 8am.

Walkley councillors Neale Gibson and Ben Curran gave a joint statement about the incident.

They said: "We are saddened to learn of the house fire on Boyce Street this morning. We understand the fire was caused by unlawful electrical connections used to power additional lighting installed for the purposes of growing cannabis.

“As local councillors, we had reported strong smells of cannabis on that road to the police on more than one occasion. We regret that the police were unable to take action before the fire but hope they can now locate and take action against the perpetrators.”

South Yorkshire Police has been contacted about the incident.

Anyone with information can get in touch with the police by calling 101 or by contacting CrimeStoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

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