SAN DIEGO -- A 23-year-old man who admitted bypassing a home's electric meter in order to power high-intensity lights to grow at least 100 marijuana plants was sentenced Monday to five years in prison and ordered to pay $18,000 in restitution to SDG&E.

Yeng Vang, of La Mesa, pleaded guilty July 31 to conspiracy to manufacture marijuana plants.

According to court documents, the La Mesa Police Department on Dec. 29, 2008, responded to a residential house fire on Troy Lane. Upon entering the residence, firefighters found high-intensity lights in two bedrooms being used to grow marijuana plants.

The firefighters also discovered that the home's electric meter had been bypassed to allow for electricity to be used without being reported to SDG&E.

In his plea, Vang admitted that he leased the property on Troy Lane to grow the marijuana plants. He also admitted that he installed or had installed a bypass around the SDG&E electricity in order to steal electricity to power the high-intensity lamps that he used to grow the marijuana plants, which caused the fire.

Vang also admitted that an unloaded short-barreled .30 M1 rifle with 10 rounds of ammunition was found in the master bedroom at the time of the fire.