Eight people displaced by east Las Vegas apartment fire

An apartment fire displaced eight people Sunday in the east valley, the Las Vegas Fire Department said.

Firefighters responded at about 2:30 p.m. to reports of a fire burning in the yard behind an apartment complex at 517 N. 28th St., Fire Department spokesman Tim Szymanski said.

The fire had spread to the building by the time firefighters arrived, Szymanski said. The flames gutted one bedroom and caused heavy smoke and heat damage to another.

The apartment’s occupants were not home at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported, he said.

Minor damages to the apartment next door led to the displacement of more people, the Fire Department said.

The American Red Cross is assisting the eight people — five adults and three children — displaced by the fire.

Damages are estimated at $70,000.

Contact Rachel Hershkovitz at rhershkovitz@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @rzhershkovitz on Twitter.