Three children in critical condition from fire

Three children who suffered smoke inhalation were in critical condition Wednesday night after a mattress burned in their apartment near downtown, the Las Vegas Fire Department said.

Department spokesman Tim Szymanski said the children, age 5 and under, possibly had been left unsupervised before the fire ignited.

"There was no adult in this apartment as far as we know right now," Szymanski said at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday

The fire occurred about 8:15 p.m. in the 1800 block of Lewis Avenue, near Charleston Boulevard and Bruce Street, at the Hidden Village Apartments.

The children were taken to University Medical Center. Their conditions were not updated late Wednesday.

Szymanski said a neighbor rushed to the burning apartment and found the door unlocked.

Thick smoke engulfed the apartment, Szymanski said. The neighbor called for help and also called for the children.

A security guard heard the woman's cries for help, called 911, broke out a window and began shooting a fire extinguisher inside the apartment.

Another neighbor also rushed to the apartment and began shooting a fire extinguisher through a window.

Firefighters arrived and found a small fire that was contained to a mattress in a bedroom, Szymanski said.

The children were found unresponsive in a different room, the master bedroom. One of the children was found on a bed, while the others were found on the floor.

Szymanski said he was told the children were supposed to have a baby sitter.

The neighbor who shot a fire extinguisher through a window also was hospitalized after being cut by glass, Szymanski said.

Early estimates put the fire damage at about $5,000. It was the heavy smoke that threatened the children's lives, Szymanski said.

The cause of the blaze had not been determined.

Szymanski said Las Vegas police and Clark County Family Services were not involved in the investigation.

He said the agencies may become involved when the Fire Department completes its investigation.

Contact reporter Antonio Planas at aplanas@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638.