Fire hits warehouse just west of Strip
Crews are battling a persistent warehouse fire just west of the Las Vegas Strip.
The fire was reported at 8:25 a.m. Wednesday at a building on the 4000 block of Bertsos Drive, near West Flamingo Road and Arville Street. Clark County Deputy Fire Chief Warren Whitney said there have been no injuries reported but firefighters were still battling the blaze more than two hours later.
“The first arriving unit found a warehouse fire with heavy smoke and flames,” Whitney said. “A defensive attack was initiated due to the heavy flame involvement and structural instability.”
Whitney said firefighters were working to contain the fire while protecting nearby buildings.
“Units are still on scene actively trying to extinguish the fire and prevent extension,” Whitney said at 11 a.m.
Whitney said the building has been vacant for nearly a decade if not longer.
“There have been multiple unpermitted modifications,” Whitney said. “There have been code enforcement violations. We have had multiple fires started by the unhoused.”
Although an investigation into Wednesday’s fire is just getting started, Whitney said there’s a good chance the cause of the fire is attributable to squatters who regularly gain access to the building.
Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.
