Las Vegas Fire & Rescue
Las Vegas Fire & Rescue crews respond to a fire at an apartment in the 600 block of Stewart Avenue on Friday, Feb. 10, 2017.
Published Friday, Feb. 10, 2017 | 8:30 a.m.
Updated Friday, Feb. 10, 2017 | 11:33 a.m.
Two people caught themselves on fire today as they were cleaning jewelry with gasoline — and possibly smoking — in a downtown studio apartment, according to Las Vegas Fire & Rescue officials.
Four other people were treated for smoke inhalation after the fire, which caused an estimated $100,000 in damage and displaced 51 people from the apartment building at 624 Stewart Ave., behind the Gold Spike, officials said.
An occupant of the apartment told investigators a man and woman might have been smoking cigarettes while they were cleaning the jewelry or afterwards, which is believed to have sparked the blaze, according to fire department officials.
Another man staying at the apartment awoke about 6 a.m. and found the couple on fire, officials said. He patted out the flames on their clothing, and the three fled the apartment, officials said.
The injured man and woman were taken to University Medical Center with first- and second-degree burns, officials said.
“You can’t have gasoline inside a small studio apartment like that because it evaporates into fumes, and any ignition inside the room could start the fire,” fire department spokesman Tim Szymanski said.
It took firefighters about five minutes to put out the blaze, officials said. The incident is under investigation, but nobody is expected to face any charges, officials said.
