Fire callout turns up cannabis crop

A call-out to Niblett St by Whanganui Police and the Fire Service just after 11am on Saturday yielded more than a fire. A 55-year-old man at the house was arrested and will appear in court this week on a charge of cultivating cannabis in what Sergeant Drew Allison said was not the most sophisticated operation. The cannabis was not in the room where the fire started, but was found when a check was made of the house after the fire. Station officer Aaron Summerhays said a man was cooking in his bedroom when a curtain caught fire. The damage was superficial. This prompted the warning to "keep looking while you're cooking".

"Unattended cooking causes the biggest number of fires we attend," Mr Summerhays said.

There were also no smoke alarms at the inner-city house, where three people live.