Blaze at NLV home kills two residents

Two people died after an early morning fire in a North Las Vegas mobile home Saturday.

Neighbors said two women who were in their mid- to late-50s lived in the home.

They were pulled from the residence by firefighters, but one of the victims died at the scene and the other was taken to a hospital, where she died, fire officials said.

Tim Loper, 45, lives next door to the home but said he slept through the fire.

"I was kind of devastated. I didn't hear about it until this afternoon," Loper said. "It's a real sad thing."

The cause of the blaze had not been determined, said North Las Vegas Fire Department Capt. Cedric Williams.

At 12:37 a.m., firefighters arrived at the home, at 4714 N. Kenny Way, near Craig Road and Simmons Street, and found heavy smoke and flames shooting from the windows.

The owner of the property was able to escape the home and told firefighters that two people remained inside, the Fire Department said.

Firefighters "were able to go inside and pull both of them out," Williams said.

Two pets also died in the fire. None of the 29 firefighters who responded to the blaze was injured.

On Saturday afternoon, boarded-up windows and police tape cordoning off the driveway were the only signs that remained of the fire. The home sits on nearly 1.5 acres.

The victims' names were not released. Residents said the women were good neighbors and quiet.

One of the women used a mechanized wheelchair, said Juanita Johnson, 56, who awoke to sounds of firetrucks and police sirens.

"They were very nice people," said her husband, 57-year-old North Las Vegas airport manager Cecil Johnson.

Loper said he wasn't close to his neighbors but added that they were nice people.

"I just talked to them last week," he said. "They were all jazzed about the new landscaping that was going in."

Contact reporter Lawrence Mower at lmower@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0440.