Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Fire sends plume of smoke across Las Vegas valley

Fire

Sam Morris

A large fire in an abandoned building west of the Las Vegas Strip on Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2012, sent up a plume of smoke that was visible for miles in the valley

Updated Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2012 | 8:27 a.m.

Vacant Building Fire

Las Vegas and Clark County fire fighters work a two-alarm fire in an vacant building at Sirius Avenue and Procyon Street Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2012. The fire, which was reported around 6:20 am, gutted the building and no injuries were reported. Launch slideshow »

A fire in a vacant building near Interstate 15 sent up a plume of smoke that was visible for miles in the Las Vegas valley during today's morning commute.

Firefighters were called at 6:23 a.m. to the building, at 3701 Sirius, where they reported heavy flames coming from the structure. The building, previously occupied by Normandie Country Bakery, is less than a mile west of I-15 near Desert Inn Road and Valley View Boulevard.

In a televised interview shortly before 8 a.m., Las Vegas Fire and Rescue spokesman Tim Szymanski said the flames had been extinguished and no injuries were reported. Damage was estimated at $500,000.

When the first firefighters arrived, flames were already through the roof, which was collapsing, an indication that the fire had been burning for some time, Szymanski said.

Firefighters from Las Vegas and Clark County fought the blaze, which took about 45 minutes to bring under control, he said. Crews battled the fire from the outside because the building was unstable, he said.

The bakery went out of business about five years ago and the building was empty, Szymanski said. The building did not have a sprinkler system, he said.

The building, which was deemed a total loss, will be fenced off because of its unstable and dangerous state, Szymanski said.

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