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Pot-Growing Equipment Sparks Santa Monica House Fire

SANTA MONICA (CBS) — Police say faulty wiring and equipment for growing marijuana sparked a fire that damaged a three-story house and slightly injured two people.

The fire was reported at 6:43 a.m. Thursday in the 700 block of Kingman Avenue, where renters were growing marijuana, Santa Monica police Sgt. Cody Green said.

The flames apparently began in the house's basement or crawlspace, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said. The fire was put out within an hour.

Most of the marijuana was destroyed in the fire, Green said.

No arrests were made because the residents had a prescription for medical marijuana and may have been growing it for their own use, police said.

A damage estimate was unavailable, Green said.

(©2010 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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