Woman died after candle lit clothes, officials say
A woman killed in a Las Vegas house fire Friday night accidentally set herself ablaze inside a closet at her Creekside Lane home near Rainbow Boulevard and Westcliff Drive.
The unidentified woman, who authorities believe was 74, was found dead on a closet floor.
Fire officials believe she was changing a light bulb inside the closet and the flame of a candle she was using for light caught her clothes on fire.
She died of smoke inhalation and burns, according to fire officials.
The fire took less than a minute to suppress. Damage was limited to the closet and estimated at $5,000.
Authorities initially believed the woman lived in the home with her husband, a Navy veteran, but have since discovered he died a couple of years ago. She was alone in the home and the first person killed in a house fire in Las Vegas in 2011.
The Clark County coroner will formally identify the woman.
Contact Doug McMurdo at dmcmurdo
@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5512.
