A woman calls the fire department after a spark from a firework ignited landscaping in a parking lot near Green Valley Parkway and I-215 in Henderson Tuesday, July 4, 2017.
Published Wednesday, July 5, 2017 | 9:42 a.m.
Updated Wednesday, July 5, 2017 | 7:55 p.m.
Firefighters battled three house and two vehicle fires Tuesday night that officials suspect were started by fireworks, even as Fourth of July revelers, in one case, continued to light off illegal fireworks just a few doors down, according to Las Vegas Fire & Rescue officials.
The Clark County Fire Department, meanwhile, responded to two other house fires and a car fire Tuesday night and early Wednesday. The causes of those fires have not yet been determined, officials said
A man was sleeping about 11 p.m. when someone pounded on his door and warned him that his house near Alta and Buffalo drives was on fire, officials said.
The man tried to put out the blaze with a garden hose, but the fire had already spread from the grass in the backyard to the side of the house and attic, officials said. The fire did an estimated $25,000 in damage, officials said.
“There was extensive use of illegal fireworks by a block party with a large crowd only a few doors from the house,” fire department spokesman Tim Szymanski said in a news release. “As firefighters worked to put the fire out, the party continued their use of the illegal fireworks.”
Another suspected fireworks-sparked blaze was reported about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday near St. Louis and Eastern avenues.
The fire started in a palm tree and spread to other trees and two houses, officials said. Burning embers from the trees rained down on the firefighters, officials said.
Firefighters brought the blaze under control in less than 15 minutes. The fire displaced three adults and four children, officials said.
Damage from the house fires was estimated at about $230,000, officials said.
County firefighters responded to 374 calls, including 139 fire-related incidents, between 5 p.m. Tuesday and 5 a.m. today. That’s 66 percent more than normal for the period, officials said.
County fire personnel also treated two burn injuries, officials said.
Las Vegas Fire & Rescue reported responding — from late Tuesday to early Wednesday — to 409 calls, which was about 100 more than on a typical shift, 127 which were fire related.
Out of the 127 fire calls, 60 were to trees, 10 to grass, 12 to brush and 17 to fire containers. The tree, grass, brush and trash container fires were assumed to had been sparked by fireworks, officials said.
