34-year-old Las Vegas woman killed in apartment fire identified
The 34-year-old woman found dead inside a burning apartment early Saturday has been identified.
She was Nora Serna of Las Vegas, the Clark County coroner’s office said. Her cause and manner of death were still pending Thursday morning.
Her death marked the fifth fire-related death in Las Vegas this year. Crews from Las Vegas and Clark County fire departments were on scene within minutes of receiving 911 calls from residents at the Corona Del Sol Apartments on East Charleston Boulevard, near Lamb and Nellis boulevards.
It was still dark when they arrived about 5:15 a.m. to find “heavy flames” spilling out of the windows of a second-floor unit in building 4640, according to Las Vegas Fire Department spokesman Tim Szymanski.
Firefighters found Serna on the floor of a bedroom. Investigators believe the fire started near a closet, although the exact cause of the fire could not immediately be determined, Szymanski said. The woman was home alone at the time of the fire, and no one else was injured.
Crews called a second alarm in an effort to help evacuate the building and fight the fire, Szymanski said.
Crews were able to control the fire and prevent it from spreading within 15 minutes, but the neighboring apartment to the left was damaged from fire-control operations and the unit below suffered water damage. At least five adults and two children were temporarily displaced and were receiving assistance from the American Red Cross, the department said.
Contact Mike Shoro at mshoro@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290. Follow @mike_shoro on Twitter.
