Garage fire, mobile home fire blamed on careless smoking

By Riley Snyder

Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2013 | 9:36 a.m.

Fire officials blame careless smoking for helping to start two fires Monday in the Las Vegas Valley.

Crews first responded to a garage fire around 5:42 p.m. Monday in the 7800 block of Olympus Avenue, near Elkhorn Road and North Buffalo Drive, Las Vegas Fire & Rescue spokesman Tim Szymanski said.

The fire damaged portions of the garage, part of the home's exterior, a vehicle outside the garage, and it spread to a small part of the residence's living room and attic, Szymanski said. Damage was estimated at $20,000, and a number of people were displaced by the blaze, he said.

Around 7:20 p.m. Monday, fire crews responded to a mobile home property at the Desert Inn Mobile Estates near Nellis Boulevard and Twain Avenue, Clark County Fire Department Deputy Chief Erik Newman said.

A total of 32 personnel fought the fire inside a double-wide mobile trailer for nearly 20 minutes, hampered by moderate wind and a large number of interior furnishings and contents fueling the blaze, Newman said. Damage was estimated to be around $50,000, and the trailer's occupant is being assisted by the American Red Cross, Newman said.

Both fires are believed to have been sparked by the careless discarding of smoking materials.