IN BRIEF

FLAMINGO AND EASTERN

80-year-old dies after SUV hits parked car

An 80-year-old man died Thursday after he drove his sport utility vehicle into a parked car near Flamingo Road and Eastern Avenue.

Las Vegas police said the man was driving west on Swan Lane near Flamingo Crest Drive in a 1991 GMC Blazer when he struck the back left corner of a parked 1999 Nissan Sentra.

The man, whose name was not released, was taken to Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

FATAL ACCIDENT

Motorcyclist run over after crash into vehicle

A motorcyclist died after crashing into the back of a minivan and falling into the path of a pickup Thursday.

The 55-year-old was riding a 2005 Honda Shadow when he hit the back of a 2002 Chrysler minivan in the left southbound lane on Eastern Avenue, about a block north of Warm Springs Road, Las Vegas police said.

The van, driven by 51-year-old Bernard Chavies of Las Vegas, was stopped for traffic at the time of the 3:55 p.m. accident, police said.

After hitting the van, the motorcyclist fell into the right lane and was run over by a 1999 GMC truck driven by 23-year-old Bryan Cake of Las Vegas.

HOUSE FIRE

Firefighters suspicious after home explodes

A Las Vegas home exploded and caught fire Thursday evening, an incident that firefighters are treating as arson.

Las Vegas Fire Department spokesman Tim Szymanski said the front of the single-story home at 2601 Mason Ave., near Charleston Boulevard and Rancho Drive, exploded about 8:30 p.m., sending bricks and other materials flying.

The abandoned home, which neighbors told investigators had a "For Sale" sign in the yard as recently as a week ago, was gutted by the fire, Szymanski said.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze within 15 minutes, and nobody was injured in the incident.

The fire did not spread to any other homes.

Szymanski said the home did not have a natural gas hookup. Investigators did not know what caused the explosion.