House Fire Leads To Discovery Of Huge Cannabis Grow Operation: Aurora Police

AURORA, IL — A house fire early Saturday morning in the 1800 block of Ashwood Lane showed "how routine calls for service can uncover far more serious threats," Aurora Police Chief Matt Thomas said, after officials say the blaze led to firefighters uncovering a large cannabis growing operation in the home.

Aurora police and firefighters responded to the home just after 7:20 a.m. for the report of a structure fire and found small flames near the front entrance and siding damage from the heat, according to a news release.

The Aurora Fire Department quickly extinguished the fire before it could spread. While investigating the cause of the blaze, firefighters found signs of a cannabis grow operation in the basement and alerted responding officers, police said.

"A protective sweep confirmed a large number of cannabis plants, grow lights, and altered electrical equipment inside the home," the release said.

Aurora police detained two residents — homeowner 32-year-old Ryan Prey of Aurora and his roommate, a 20-year-old man. Police said Prey had visible facial injuries related to an incident in Chicago earlier in the day that were unrelated to the fire.

Later that day, police say officers executed a search warrant at the home, discovering:

• 330 cannabis plants
• 23,586 grams of cannabis (just under 52 pounds; does not include additional jars and containers still pending final weight)
• Drug packaging materials and equipment
• Numerous cell phones

Following interviews, Kane County prosecutors authorized felony charges against Prey of manufacture/delivery of more than 5,000 grams of cannabis, producing or possessing more than 200 cannabis plants and possession of more than 5,000 grams of cannabis.

Prey's 20-year-old roommate was released without charges.

"I want to commend both our officers and firefighters for working together to not only stop a fire from spreading, but also to safely dismantle a large-scale illegal operation that posed a risk to the entire area," Thomas said.

The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call the Aurora Police Department’s Investigations Division at 630-256-5500.