An early-morning fire destroyed 3,000 pot plants at a grow owned by Sea of Green Farms, the first Seattle growers licensed by the Washington State Liquor Control Board just over a year ago. No one was injured. (KIRO reports no firefighters got high, and KOMO reports that the building's rigorous security made it difficult for crews to get inside.)
Sea of Green owner Philip Tobias says firefighters told him the blaze was likely caused by part of his fluorescent lighting system. He suspects he lost about $150,000 worth of marijuana plus "quite a bit of damage" to the building. That cost has not yet been determined. But, he says, the company has enough dried product to keep the stores they've contracted with supplied while they rebuild over the next few months.
"Iâm pretty disappointed it happened," Tobias tells The Stranger, "but I knew that was a big risk. When you do an indoor grow, there's a good chance a fire can happen. We're just fortunate nobody was here."
