Chemical-Fueled Explosion Causes Fire at Marijuana Facility
Authorities are investigating a fire that happened at Arizona Development Services, a marijuana cultivation facility.
August 14, 2018
Chemical-Fueled Explosion Causes Fire at Marijuana Facility
COOLIDGE, Ariz. (AP) —
Authorities are investigating a fire that happened at Arizona Development Services, a marijuana cultivation facility.
The Casa Grande Dispatch reports the Coolidge Fire Department responded to the facility around 6:51 p.m. on Sunday.
Fire Chief Mark Dillon says the call initially came in as a fire caused by a lightning strike, but crews later discovered that the fire was actually coming from an internal source.
Fire officials say the materials led to an explosion within the building.
No one was inside the building at the time of the incident.
Crews managed to put out the fire shortly after 7:30 p.m., but that was not before it managed to do significant damage to the structure.
Dillon says initial damage estimates will likely be in the range of $100,000.
==============================
COOLIDGE, AZ —
A fire that occurred over the weekend at Arizona Development Services, a marijuana cultivation facility, is under investigation.
The Coolidge Fire Department responded to the facility, located near the intersection of Coolidge Avenue and Macrae Road, at around 6:51 p.m. on Sunday.
Fire Chief Mark Dillon said the call initially came in as a fire caused by a lightning strike. Upon arriving on scene, however, crews discovered that the fire was actually coming from an internal source.
“After the initial investigation we determined it was not lightning that stuck the facility,” he said. “It was improperly stored hazardous materials.”
Fire officials said that the materials led to an explosion within the building.
No one was inside the building at the time of the incident.
Crews managed to put out the fire shortly after 7:30 p.m., but that was not before it did significant damage to the structure. While CFD has not completed its investigation, Dillon indicated that initial damage estimates will likely be in the range of $100,000.
============================
AZ Development Services LLC.
Located on what was once the LaPaglia farm in the western part of Coolidge, the area is now the center of another type of agricultural endeavor: medical marijuana farming.
AZ Development Services is strictly a grow facility, which currently services only one local dispensary — Health for Life in Mesa. As such, the company leases its license to grow the plant from the dispensary.
Based on the way the law is written, all the product grown inside the facility is technically owned by that dispensary.
“All I do is grow the plant,” he said. “I harvest it, I cure it and when it comes time for delivery I make a phone call, he comes down, we do all the necessary paperwork and he takes it all.”
At about 7,000 square feet, the facility is relatively small.