LIGHTING equipment believed to have been used to grow drugs is thought to have sparked a house fire in Paignton during yesterday morning's rush-hour.

Three fire crews attended the blaze which was discovered in the suspected cannabis 'factory' basement of a terraced property in Winner Street at 7.50am.

Detectives and scenes-of-crime officers attended the cordoned-off address once the location was deemed safe by fire chiefs.

No one was hurt in the fire which may have been raging for some hours before it was spotted.

Police are now trying to trace the occupant of the flat which was destroyed in the blaze. Among the burnt out remains seized afterwards were light fittings and 'various plants'.

Police say normally such set-ups would be used to grow cannabis however due to the fire it is not possible to say if this was the case at this stage.

The alarm was raised by passers-by who saw smoke coming from the closed front door.

A sledgehammer was used by firefighters to smash their way into the property where they quickly established the fire was in a basement.

They were not able to get to the seat of the fire because the stairs had already been burnt away.

A fire investigation officer was also called to the address to establish how the blaze started.

Det Con Mike Locke, of Paignton CID, said the suspected cause was the lights over-heating, or an electrical fault.

He said: "The flat was used for the purposes of hydroponics. All that we have left now are the remnants of various plants and some light fittings."

He added: "We are trying to contact the occupant. The flat is completely gutted. The material removed from the property is the subject of forensic examination."

It took four firefighters wearing breathing gear more than half-an-hour to tackle the blaze and bring it under control.

Fire service spokesman Ray Harris said: "The fire had been going for a long time.

"It was an extremely hot and severe fire in a relatively confined space. The heat was very intense."

Group manager Harris added: "When the crews went inside they found the staircase had burnt through and the fire was below them. Because of their good training they were able to take control.

"We always treat such fires on the assumption someone could still be inside until we work through and can be sure there is no one. Thankfully this time the property was unoccupied.

"However, there was no smoke detector in the property — even if there was no one inside

"Neighbours or someone passing may have heard it and contacted us. The crews had to work very hard."

Neighbour Nikki Popple was waiting for fire crews to assess any damage to her home next door.

She said: "I came out of the shower and said to my partner that I could smell smoke.

"We thought it must have been a chimney. When I came to have a look, that's when the first fire engine arrived. They used thermal imaging equipment to have a look and make sure it's all out. Our walls on one side were red hot. You couldn't touch them."