By Monte Mitchell
Winston-Salem Journal
WATAUGA COUNTY, N.C. — Firefighters thought that they were heading off to fight a brush fire yesterday. But instead they found a rural home engulfed in flames — with a 3-foot-tall marijuana plant sitting in a bucket in the driveway, authorities said.
And it wasn’t long before they started hearing explosions popping in the house at 9624 Elk Creek Road.
Firefighters believe that there may have been 1,000 rounds of small-caliber ammunition stored inside. They took cover until the explosions stopped, and no one was injured.
Investigators found a hydroponic marijuana-growing system in an outbuilding, with about 30 plants that were about a foot or so tall, said Sheriff L.D. Hagaman of Watauga County. A hydroponic growing system supplies nutrients to plants in a water solution, without soil.
The house, a doublewide modular home set on a foundation, was destroyed in the fire. The owners live out of state, and the house was for sale.
Paul Buchanan of the Watauga County Fire Marshal’s Office said that investigators suspect arson was involved.
The scene of the fire is an isolated, wooded area beside a gravel road. It’s about a quarter-mile from the Wilkes-Watauga county line. Woods hide a view of the house from the road.
The fire was reported at 5:11 a.m. by a neighbor who thought that the woods might be burning, Buchanan said.
Firefighters were on the scene by 5:25 a.m.
“They could see the flames.. It was fully involved,” Buchanan said. “Basically the roof was already burned off, and one of the walls had actually collapsed to the outside.”
Firefighters noticed that the concrete-block outbuilding looked as if it had been broken into, and alerted investigators with the Watauga County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators obtained a search warrant for the outbuilding.
The house and 15 acres were listed for sale for $169,995, and was the featured property for a while yesterday on the website of Parker Mountain Properties. The listing described the house as 1,904-square-feet, with three bedrooms, two baths, electric heating and air, and a wood-burning fireplace. It said that the 1,400-square-foot outbuilding was on a separate electric meter.
Investigators were still trying to reach the owners yesterday.
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