Fire at Las Vegas condominium leaves woman, her pet dog dead

A Las Vegas woman died after her condominium went up in flames Wednesday.

Shortly after noon, firefighters responded to numerous calls of heavy smoke coming from the unit in the 6400 block of Melody Rose Avenue, near Smoke Ranch Road and Torrey Pines Drive.

“When we arrived on scene, there was very heavy smoke showing from the unit,” said Tim Szymanski, spokesman for the Las Vegas Fire Department.

According to neighbors, the woman was not breathing when firefighters pulled her from the residence.

Firefighters had the fire subdued in under five minutes after they arrived. The bedroom where the woman was found was gutted by the fire, Szymanski said, and heavy black soot covered the floors of most of the residence.

The victim was transported to University Medical Center where she was pronounced deceased roughly two hours later.

The woman’s dog, a rat terrier according to neighbors, also perished in the fire.

The cause of the fire was still under investigation, but careless smoking is a possibility, investigators said.

The woman’s roommate, who was not at home at the time of the fire, was displaced by the fire and was being assisted by the American Red Cross.

Damage was estimated at $60,000.

Contact reporter Colton Lochhead at clochhead@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0264.