Police Arrest Suspected Pot Grower Linked To Fire In Garage On Warwick

A 37-year-old man has been arrested for growing marijuana and possessing pot for sale in connection with a blaze that gutted a garage on Warwick Street and left one firefighter injured Wednesday evening.

On Thursday, San Leandro Police identified the suspected grower as Edward Davis of 568 Warwick Street, where fire destroyed a detached garage at about 5 pm Wednesday.

During the 15-minute effort to contain the blaze, an Alameda County firefighter was injured when a beam fell on his head. The firefighter was taken to Eden Hospital for observation.

Once the fire was put out, detectives entered the garage and confirmed the firefighters’ suspicions that the garage was the site of a marijuana growing operation, police said. 

Investigators also discovered that the electrical power lines to the garage had been re-wired to bypass the PG&E service panel to the house and send power directly to the garage.

Police called in a city building inspector who determined that the re-routing had prevented the garage’s power use from showing up on PG&E records.

The building inspector red-tagged the garage as being unsafe. The garage was the only structure to be damaged in the fire.

Police say Davis had a medical marijuana card which had expired some time ago. Detectives estimate that there were 50 to 60 plants in the garage and that the operation could produce about six pounds of marijuana every four months.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation but police said it did not result from the electrical box.

Broadmoor resident Tim Holmes witnessed the fire-fighting effort and contributed two pictures Wednesday evening that are attached to this story. He has also posted a photo gallery with more images.

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