Hash farm destroyed by defunct air con fire

A massive cannabis farm set up illegally at a Vienna flat was devastated by a blaze yesterday (Tues).Police in Simmering district said today the air condition system set up by the owner to ensure flourishing growth caught fire due to a technical failure.A spokesman for the local fire brigade said: “None of the residents of the apartment block were injured. Police officers confiscated the remaining 31 marijuana plants.”The male cannabis grower, 35, was not put in custody but faces drug charges.Two police officers meanwhile discovered a cannabis farm of 86 plants in a flat in Maria Laach, Lower Austria, after smelling marijuana when they were at the building investigating a different case earlier this month.The 39-year-old man told police he would not sell any of the marijuana he had been growing as he ran the plantation strictly for personal consumption.Growth, sale and consumption of cannabis, marijuana and hashish products is illegal in Austria.