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March 19, 2024

Warehouse fire sends flames high into sky near Strip

Warehouse fire

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Firefighters responded just after midnight to a 20,000 square-foot warehouse at 4343 Polaris Avenue, near West Harmon Avenue, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016.

Updated Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016 | 4:42 p.m.

Fire Destroys Charity's Donation Center

A man looks over damage after an early morning fire gutted a warehouse at 4343 Polaris Ave. near West Harmon Avenue Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. The fire destroyed school supplies and a clothing donation center run by Peoples Autism Foundation. The charity aids children with autism and their families. Launch slideshow »

A 20,000-square-foot warehouse caught fire early today west of the Strip, sending flames shooting more than 50 feet over the roofs of surrounding buildings, according to the Clark County Fire Department.

Nobody was injured.

More than 70 firefighters from the county and Las Vegas Fire & Rescue battled the blaze, which was reported just after midnight at 4343 Polaris Ave., near West Harmon Avenue, officials said.

“Fire crews began setting up for a defensive fire fight that they knew would last the rest of the night,” county Fire Chief Greg Cassell said.

Firefighters worried the warehouse would collapse onto a neighboring pet motel, so they removed 30 animals to a safe location, Cassell said. An outdoor storage area at another neighboring business sustained some fire damage, Cassell said.

Before Thursday morning’s fire, the warehouse was the site of Peoples Autism Foundation, a nonprofit that distributes school supplies, clothing, digital tablets and gift cards to families of students in the Las Vegas Valley with autism.

Community outreach director Nichol Zamora said the foundation had been collecting school supplies all summer and was set to distribute them Thursday and Friday before the Clark County School District opens the school year next week.

The foundation also collects clothing year-round through donation bins placed around the Las Vegas Valley, Zamora said. Organization employees counted 83 Android tablets yesterday that they planned to give to students.

But Thursday’s fire resulted in a “total loss,” consuming all of the undistributed donations the organization had collected over the past year, in addition to a forklift and office supplies.

“Everything was destroyed,” Zamora said.

Zamora said the fire consumed tens of thousands of dollars' worth of items. The cause of the fire was under investigation.

To help the Peoples Autism Foundation, donors are encouraged to drop off school supplies at The Space Las Vegas, 2460 Cavaretta Court, near Harmon Avenue and Dean Martin Drive, or Big Frog T-shirt company, 10660 Southern Highlands Parkway, No. 108, near Somerset Hills Avenue and Interstate 15.

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