PIKETON, Ohio (AP) An Ohio sheriff says a marijuana bust was so big authorities chose to burn the 22,000 plants in the outdoor area where they were found, not destroy them elsewhere.

Sheriff Richard Henderson says the plants found Friday growing on two adjoining properties in southern Ohio's Pike County have an estimated street value of about $22 million. Investigators made the discovery doing a routine helicopter search of the area for pot.

Special Agent Supervisor Scott Duff with the state's Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation calls the bust ``amazing, just huge.'' It's one of the largest since the bureau launched a marijuana eradication effort two decades ago.

Sheriff Henderson says the property owners are not suspects.