A MAN has been cautioned for a cannabis offence after a bedroom was gutted by fire at a York house.

Firefighters were sent into the property in Tennent Road, Acomb, yesterday afternoon to search for possible casualties as well as tackle the blaze, which had blown out two bedroom windows.

But there was no one inside and during a search firefighters found cannabis growing in the loft, said North Yorkshire Police.

A force spokesman said yesterday that two people, a 23-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man, had been arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of cannabis.

He said today that the woman was later released without further action, while the man was given a caution.

He added that a very small number of plants had been located and there was no suggestion that cannabis growing had been a contributory factor in the fire.

The fire broke out at the end-of-terrace council house just before 3pm yesterday afternoon.

Watch manager Andy Creasey of North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service said the whole area was smoke-logged when firefighters arrived and flames were coming out of the bedroom window, with two panes destroyed by the heat and flames.

"We weren't 100 per cent sure whether there anybody in the property or not.," he said.

"We were getting lots of bits of different information and so we sent a team of two with breathing apparatus in. Their brief was to firefight and search for any casualties.

"The occupier came out from over the road while they were in there and confirmed there were no persons or animals in the property.

"The fire was generally confined to the front bedroom but it was 100 per cent destroyed by fire. We got into it early enough to stop it spreading any further but the whole of the first floor was heavily smoke-logged and the house is totally uninhabitable."

He said it was thought the fire, which was brought under control in about ten minutes, might have been caused by an electrical fault in the bedroom but this had yet to be confirmed.