Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Fire department: Squatters are probable cause of two weekend fires

Two fires over the weekend, one of which displaced three adults, may have been started by squatters who were staying in the buildings, according to Las Vegas Fire & Rescue.

According to fire investigators:

At 2:21 p.m. Saturday, firefighters arrived to find smoke coming from a one-story, wood frame, boarded-up vacant house at 1060 W. Lake Mead Blvd.

They were able to put the fire out within minutes.

Burned trash was found in the building, and it appeared that squatters had been using the building for shelter.

Witnesses told police a person had crawled out of the building just after the fire started and went to a nearby bar. The person denied being in the building when questioned by police, and no one could make a positive identification.

A damage estimate was not available because the house had been burned before, and it was difficult to differentiate between damage caused by Saturday's fire and damage caused by the previous fire.

No injuries were reported.

At 7:21 a.m. Sunday, firefighters responded to 240 Cincinnati Ave., near Sahara Avenue and Industrial Road, after passersby reported smoke coming from the building.

Three of the four units in the two-story apartment building were vacant and boarded up.

Firefighters evacuated sleeping residents and several pets from the occupied unit.

The fire started in a vacant unit downstairs believed to be occupied by squatters. A mattress and a small area on a wall were burned.

Damage was estimated at $2,500.

No injuries were reported, but three adults in the upstairs unit were displaced due to heavy smoke. They are being assisted by the American Red Cross.

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy