Apartment catches fire after resident turns on stove, falls asleep

By Las Vegas Sun Staff (contact)

Wednesday, June 17, 2015 | 8:12 a.m.

An apartment building caught fire early today after a resident turned on the stove to boil water for tea and then fell asleep, Las Vegas Fire & Rescue officials said.

The resident was awakened by the smoke alarm and found the kitchen on fire, officials said. The person, who was not identified, was taken to a hospital with smoke inhalation, official said.

The fire was reported about 3:40 a.m. at the Sundance Village Apartments, 6500 W. Charleston Blvd. Fire was blowing out the windows of a first-floor unit, with flames lapping up to the apartment and roof above, officials said.

It took firefighters about 10 minutes to put out the blaze. The kitchen where the fire started was gutted, and the rest of the unit had heat and smoke damage, officials said.

The unit above had damage in the living room from the fire entering from the balcony, and the roof sustained minor damage, officials said.

Six people were displaced. Total damage was estimated at $70,000, officials said.

The fire was ruled accidental, the result of unattended cooking, officials said.