Apartment building fire forces 14 people from homes

By Pashtana Usufzy

Published Friday, March 13, 2015 | 7:04 p.m.

Updated Friday, March 13, 2015 | 10:24 p.m.

A kitchen fire tonight at an apartment near Eastern Avenue and Bonanza Road displaced 14 people and caused an estimated $75,000 damage, a Las Vegas Fire & Rescue spokesman said.

Firefighters received multiple calls about 6:40 p.m. of a fire in an upstairs apartment at a two-story building in the 700 block of Aster Lane, fire department spokesman Tim Szymanski said.

No injuries were reported, he said.

Heavy smoke and flames were coming from the four-unit building, he said. Crews brought the fire under control in less than five minutes, Szymanski said.

The blaze caused extensive damage to the apartment where it started and smoke damage to a unit next door, he said. Two units on the first floor sustained minor water damage.

A resident told investigators the fire started when he left his stove on to go to the bathroom, Szymanski said.

When the resident came back a few minutes later, the stove and wall behind it were on fire, Szymanski said.

The man left his apartment and warned his neighbors, he said.

The American Red Cross of Southern Nevada is helping the eight adults and six children displaced in the fire, he said.

Cooking fires are the No. 1 cause of fires in Las Vegas and the country, Szymanski said.