Six people injured, 34 displaced in valley blaze

A pre-dawn blaze Thursday at an apartment complex displaced 34 people and injured six after they jumped from third-story windows to escape the fire, a Las Vegas Fire Department spokesman said.

Tim Szymanski said the fire began about 2:12 a.m. at Elmwood Villas Apartments, 401 N. 28th Street, near Eastern Avenue and U.S. Highway 95.

A grease fire in a second-floor apartment ignited the building, he said. The fire destroyed 12 units and caused $500,000 in damage, he said.

Six people were forced to jump from third-story windows because the fire consumed the stairwell connecting the second and third floors, Szymanski said. The six people were taken to local hospitals for treatment, he said.

Three people were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.

Carla Sandoval, an assistant manager at the complex, said the people who were displaced will be housed in other apartments within the complex. The local Red Cross was helping the displaced families financially.