A SIX-YEAR-OLD child died in a house fire in the Valencia area yesterday (Monday July 27) – and when the rescue team broke into the property, they discovered a large marihuana plantation in the basement.
The victim’s father called the 112 emergency helpline when the blaze broke out in their home in San Cristobal urbanisation in Alberic (Ribera Alta, Valencia Province) at around 7 pm yesterday evening.
He reportedly told the emergency services that his son was trapped by the flames, which made it impossible for him to rescue the child.
The father suffered from intoxication due to smoke inhalation and required on-the-spot treatment, while firefighters broke into the house and fought through the flames to find the six-year-old, who was said to be suffering from autism.
Eventually the fire service located the child in his bedroom, but it was too late and he was pronounced dead at the scene, supposedly also due to smoke inhalation.
During their search, the rescue services located a marihuana plantation of as yet undisclosed size inside the house, immediately informing the police of a possible criminal offence.
The initial hypothesis is that the fire was caused by an electrical fault, with investigators now working to establish whether it could be connected to the lighting system used for the illegal plantation.
No more details have yet been made public.
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