On May 13 just before 8pm the ladder was dispatched along with Amity (Co’s 49 & 6), Oley (Co 5), Boyertown Area Fire/Rescue (Co 95), Exeter (Co 25), Earl Twp (Co 19) and Montgomery County station 69 for a reported structure fire at 16 Lehmann Dr. First arriving crews and police officers found nothing showing from the exterior and light smoke inside. Further checking revealed a fire in the basement near an electrical panel that was extending to the wood framing. It also revealed a large scale marijuana growing operation which resulted in the single occupant being placed into police custody. Crews quickly extinguished the fire and ventilated the structure. Power could not be secured until the arrival of Met-Ed as the owner had done quite a bit of illegal electrical work in order to bypass the meter. Once the fire was out the scene was turned over to Amity PD and the Berks County DA’s office and Sheriff’s for further investigation.
Photo courtesy of Berks County DA’s office
