Las Vegas woman who was hurt in Wednesday fire has died

The woman critically injured last week in an intentionally set fire at a group home died Monday, according to the Clark County coroner.

Lolita Budiao, 60, was a caregiver to four men at the east valley home at 1009 Marion Drive, near Washington Avenue, according to the Las Vegas Fire Department.

During the July 27 fire, Budiao suffered second- and third-degree burns to 75 percent of her body, the department reported. She received treatment at the Lions Burn Care Center at University Medical Center before she died.

One of the men living in the home, Abebaw Kassa, 32, was charged with first-degree arson last week in connection with the early morning fire, Fire Department spokesman Tim Szymanski said last week.

As of Tuesday afternoon, it was unclear whether Kassa would face additional charges after the woman’s death. Paperwork to update his charges had not been submitted as of 5 p.m., according to the Clark County district attorney’s office.

The Fire Department served as the arresting agency. Szymanski said any additional or amended charges Kassa could face may come later this week, if he faces any additional charges at all.

After the fire, Kassa was taken to the medical center by ambulance for treatment of minor smoke inhalation. He was questioned there before his arrest, Szymanski said.

According to an arrest report, the caregiver called the group home’s owner and left a message that Kassa was setting the house on fire. The homeowner tried calling the woman back, but the line was busy.

The woman and the four men she cared for, including Kassa, were all inside the home when the fire started, Szymanski said. One of the four residents later told investigators Kassa had locked the caregiver in a bathroom, and that she was yelling behind the locked door during the fire, the arrest report said.

Upon arrival, at least one firefighter saw a woman come out of the front door on fire, the arrest report said.

Fire Department investigators later determined the fire began in the kitchen and extended to the living room, according to the arrest report. Investigators found a chair on the stove and counter of the kitchen, and charred remains of what appeared to be some type of cloth also were found on the counter and burners of the stove.

That evidence led investigators to rule the fire was caused by “the application of open flame to ordinary combustibles,” causing $35,000 in damage, the arrest report said.

Kassa is currently being held on $25,000 bail at the Clark County Detention Center.

Szymanski said the group home was unlicensed, so it is unclear what care the four men were receiving there.

The home’s owner, Josefina Adams, also owns a home on Ronan Drive, about two miles from the home that burned, according to property records. The Ronan Drive home is listed as an assisted living facility with seven beds, according to the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health’s current Nevada Hospital and Healthcare Guide.

Adams is listed as the property’s administrator. The seven beds are reserved for people with mental illnesses, according to AssistedLivingFacilities.org, a nationwide directory that lists licensed assisted living residences by state.

When reached by phone Wednesday, Adams declined to comment.

Review-Journal writer Rachel Crosby contributed to this report. Contact Lawren Linehan at llinehan@reviewjournal.com or at 702-383-0381. Find @lawrenlinehan on Twitter. Contact Raven Jackson at rjackson@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow@ravenmjackson on Twitter.