In a story with a “man bites dog!” feel for most Americans, firefighters in California’s Humboldt County entered a burning structure that contained a drying marijuana harvest and carried the weed to safety. And then left the plants at the scene when they departed.

It was reported that a member of the local sheriff’s department was also at the scene. but took no action.

Humboldt County, along with Mendocino and Trinity counties are part of Northern California’s famed Emerald Triangle, which is considered America’s No. 1 marijuana-producing locale. Perhaps that’s why the marijuana was not removed when firefighters left, but more likely it was the two valid physician-approved cannabis permits attached to a tree on the property.

Fire Battalion Chief Marty Hobbs said the cause of the fire remains under investigation, but a fan in the room where the plants were drying is the suspected source.

Hobbs said if there are enough personnel present at a fire scene, firefighters routinely carry people’s belongings to safety.

“If there is anything of value — computers, pictures — they’ll start taking out anything to protect it from damage,” Hobbs said. In this case, the firefighters carried the plants outside and placed them on a tarp. Hobbs did not place a value on the crop or comment on how it may have been affected by the fire.

On a related note, the dog of the person living on the property that ran away when firefighters arrived, and feared lost, was reunited with its owner.

Click here to read the Lost Coast Outlook article. (WARNING: LCO story contains a cute dog picture.)