Cause of fire remains unknown

Investigators have not determined the cause of a fire that ripped through a vacant 40-unit apartment building Wednesday at the historic Moulin Rouge, officials with the city of Las Vegas said Thursday.

City spokeswoman Diana Paul said although investigators have determined where the fire began, they are not releasing that information until the investigation is completed.

City officials said investigators looked at the remains of the burned building both on ground and through the air from a ladder on a truck.

The apartment on the property's south end, on West Bonanza Road near Martin Luther King Boulevard, was demolished.

That decision was made by the city manager and fire chief because the building was determined to be an imminent hazard, city officials said.

At the fire's peak Wednesday, black smoke rose from the burning building more than 100 feet in the air.

The Moulin Rouge, which opened in 1955, was Las Vegas' first racially integrated hotel-casino. It remained open less than a year.

It was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.