Police have uncovered a cannabis grow following a house fire in south Manchester. Flames engulfed the three-storey building in Chorlton on Sunday morning.
Pictures showed plumes of smoke billowing from the building at the junction of Barlow Moor Road and Napier Road. Today (Monday) police have confirmed 30 cannabis plants were discovered inside the property.
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An investigation has been launched. No arrests have been made.
A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: "Shortly after 10am on Sunday 19 March, Greater Manchester Police were called to reports of a fire at a property on Barlow Moor Road. Officers attended to support colleagues from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service.
"Inside the building, officers found around 30 cannabis plants that will be sent off for analysis. No arrests have been made and enquiries are ongoing."
A stretch of the busy main road was taped off between Wilbraham Road and High Lane for several hours while firefighters tackled the blaze. The roof of the property appeared to have been badly damaged in the fire.
Peter Heffernan, who owns Duffy's Bar in Barlow Moor Road, said he saw smoke coming from the roof of a building opposite at about 10am. He added "I noticed people looking up at it. There was a lot of smoking coming out of the roof. It must have been building for a while.”
In a statement yesterday Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said: "After receiving a call at 10am, firefighters have today tackled a large fire at a commercial property on Barlow Moor Road, Chorlton. Five fire engines from Stretford, Sale, Salford, Moss Side and Withington were called to the scene and after gaining entry, crews were met with a large fire and faced difficult conditions due to the heat and smoke.
"Working with the support of the scorpion appliance, firefighters brought the fire under control within an hour. Crews remained in attendance until around 4pm damping down, checking for hotspots and investigating.
"As always, we worked closely with our partners from Greater Manchester Police, North West Ambulance Service and Electricity North West to resolve the incident quickly and make the scene safe, ensuring no one was hurt."
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