A Bolton woman has been arrested on suspicion of growing cannabis, police say.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have confirmed a 34-year-old woman was arrested after a cannabis farm was found at a house on Brightmeadow Close in Breightmet yesterday (Friday).
The farm was found by firefighters, who were attending a fire at the address.
The firefighters, who attended from Bolton North and Farnworth fire stations, notified GMP of the farm.
No one was harmed in the fire, which started from an outdoor electrical box.
A GMP spokesperson said: "At around 10:30am on Friday 18 November, officers from Bolton attended a property on Brightmeadow Close in Bolton that had caught fire.
Read more: House fire breaks out in Breightmet house
"This was in response to Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service reporting that there was a suspected cannabis farm at the property.
"Officers located and recovered a cannabis farm and a 34-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of cultivating cannabis.
"She remains in police custody as enquiries continue."
Read more: Little Hulton drug dealer jailed after police operation.
One neighbour was present when the fire happened.
She said: "I heard the fire engines and heard the pounding on the door.
"I feel sorry for the next door neighbour, he was in bed fast asleep after a night shift.
"I opened my door and you couldn't see for white smoke. My daughter was in the front bedroom and she said 'mum is something burning, I can smell burning, it smells like plastic.'"
The neighbour couldn't find the source of the burning, but then heard loud banging outside.
She said: "Through the whole house you could feel it. As soon as I heard it I thought 'what's that on the front street.'
"It was a shock to everybody, the fire, and the fact that it could have happened at night when they were asleep.
"It's awful what's happened."
Crews tackled the house fire for almost four hours, arriving just after 10am and leaving the scene at 2pm.
Three fire engines attended, as well as a specialised fire vehicle which used a 'snake eye' camera to examine cavities for any sign of fire.
This comes after a drug dealer was jailed for four years after a search of his Little Hulton property found 'significant amounts' of class A drugs.
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