Published Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019 | 10:35 a.m.
Updated Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019 | 5:50 p.m.
Trapped by heavy smoke in a burning North Las Vegas house, a woman and her baby had to be rescued early Tuesday morning from a closet in a second-floor bedroom, according to fire officials.
The victims were taken to University Medical Center where only the 1-month-old remained for overnight observation for smoke inhalation, officials said.
Subsequently, firefighters discovered 41 French and English bulldogs in kennels in the garage and backyard of the house located in the 3300 block of Beca Faith Drive, near Martin Luther King Boulevard and Cheyenne Avenue, according to the North Las Vegas Fire Department.
The animals were taken to a shelter where they were said to be in “good health,” Deputy Fire Chief Travis Anderson said. No one had come forward to claim the animals, which were transported to the shelter by city animal control.
There was no indication the house had permits for so many animals, and charges could be filed, North Las Vegas spokesman Patrick Walker said.
Officials were crediting a smoke detector, the fact that the victims were sleeping in a room with a closed door, concise information from the adult victim to the 911 dispatcher, and a quick response by firefighters in averting a tragedy.
Area firefighters, who were summoned by the woman about 1:10 a.m., arrived at the house within four minutes, Anderson said. The woman had said that she couldn’t escape due to heavy smoke in the hallway and downstairs.
Crews made entry through a second-story window and rescued the victims using a ladder, Anderson said. The fire, caused by multiple space heaters plugged into the same power source, caused about $200,000 in property damage.
