Police said Friday the cause of the deadly five-alarm fire in Yonkers, New York, was linked to cannabis growing equipment found in one of the building’s apartments.

What happened: The Five Alert Fire erupted around 1:15 a.m. Wednesday at the 95-unit complex on Bronx River Road in Westchester County north of New York City near the New York-New Jersey state line.

Yonker’s first responders, including firefighters, police and emergency responders, began evacuating residents and fighting the fire that had reached the roof. Dozens of firefighters and several local residents suffered life-threatening injuries.

Cannabis grows easily

Fire investigators determined that the likely cause and origin of the fire was an electric heater lamp used to cultivate six marijuana plants that a resident was growing for personal use. WNYC reported that the lamp hung on a hook above the small cannabis grow but broke, sparking on the floor and starting the fire in the first floor apartment.

Investigators said when the resident spotted the fire, he raised the alarm and alerted his neighbors.

“The tragedy of this incident is compounded by how avoidable it was,” said Chris Sapienza, the Yonkers Police Commissioner. “We’ve seen before how dangerous these high-powered devices can be, and without regulations or policies to protect the public, people are being unnecessarily put at risk — marijuana laws need to be established, whether it’s in cultivation or in smoke shops; our communities demand It.”

The New York Bureau of Cannabis Management has yet to issue regulations for growing cannabis at home, meaning it’s not legal, city officials said.

About 65 people were housed at a local community center north of the scene of the fire, with support from the Office of Emergency Management. Firefighters from other jurisdictions provided assistance in fighting the blaze, which was brought under control hours later but not before a human life was claimed.

Michael…