Experts go through process of removing illegal pot grows

Ten illegal pot grows have been busted in Pueblo County in the past month. That’s 10 homes where fire and law enforcement personnel removed plants and potentially dangerous chemicals along with fixing electrical hazards.

Pueblo West Fire Division Chief Brad Davidson said crews are also on the lookout for any holes in the walls, floors or ceilings of buildings that illegal growers choose to run their exhaust hoses.

First responders said these are just a few of the dangers they face when they go inside an illegal grow structure.

Davidson said new threats develop in each bust, such as when a transformer blew up from an illegal operation and caused a wildfire.

“If that’s any sign of what’s to come, it could get worse down the road,” he said.

Davidson said if there isn’t enough oxygen inside the building where marijuana is grown, first responders have to use breathing devices to finish their job inside.

After the plants and electrical devices are gone, restoration crews are called.

“We have to treat it as if it’s chemically dangerous. It’s a highly detailed process,” home restorer Joe Arrigo said.

He said everything in the home has to be cleaned from floor to ceiling.

“Often there is a considerable amount of drywall to repair on what’s been damaged,” Arrigo said.

He said it can take up to two weeks to get rid of any trace of marijuana inside a home after a grow is removed.