Woman hurt, 10 people displaced by residential fire
A woman suffered second- and third-degree burns Friday in a residential fire near Rancho Drive and Owens Avenue that displaced 10 people.
At 11:14 a.m. Friday, Las Vegas firefighters responded to multiple calls from a house in the 1700 block of Willowbrook Drive.
Firefighters arrived to find a heavy fire originating from the rear of the house, department spokesman Tim Szymanski said.
The blaze spread through the residence and sent flames blowing out the front door. A palm tree in the backyard also caught fire.
A middle-aged woman tried to douse the flames with a garden hose and suffered severe burns to her arms, hands and face Szymanski said. She was taken to University Medical Center.
Five children and five adults were displaced by the fire and are receiving assistance from the American Red Cross, Szymanski said. Only three people were home at the time of the fire, according to the department. The residents’ three dogs all escaped from the house unharmed.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but preliminary evidence suggests it started on a sofa on the back patio, where residents said they would relax and smoke, according to the release.
The spokesman said the fire caused about $75,000 in damage, including singe marks on a neighboring residence. The fire consumed nearly everything the residents owned inside the house, Szymanski said.
Contact Chris Kudialis at ckudialis@reviewjournal.com
