3 people displaced as winds whip house fire near Palace Station

Strong winds whipped a fire that displaced three people from a house near Palace Station late Monday.

Las Vegas firefighters knocked down the fire at 2800 Trona St., near Rancho Drive and West Sahara Avenue, in about 30 minutes, Las Vegas Fire Department spokesman Tim Szymanski said. Damage was estimated at $100,000.

Szymanski said the winds pushed the fire from the house’s backyard to its back end and attic.

“Winds are fire’s best friend,” Szymanski said.

One of the residents was sleeping inside the house just before 11 p.m. when people knocked on the door and yelled about the house being on fire.

“He says when he looked up, he looked toward the window that goes to the back, and it was all lit up,” Szymanski said.

The resident unsuccessfully tried to use a garden hose to douse the flames.

The resident, a 53-year-old man who declined to provide his name, stood with his arms folded and faced his home, staring into the distance.

“I lost everything,” he said.

He said he tried to grab a few belongings before fleeing the house. He and the other two men who live there were not hurt.

Szymanski said the smoke detector inside the home worked. However, it didn’t go off until somebody opened the door and smoke poured in.

Embers from the fire sparked a brief fire in a neighboring tree.

Szymanski said a dog inside the house appeared to escape. He expected it to return once fire crews left.

A cause has not been determined, but the department said they can’t rule out that it was related to smoking.

Review-Journal reporter Lawren Linehan contributed to this report. Contact Mike Shoro at mshoro@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mike_shoro on Twitter.