Las Vegas firefighters respond to blaze at vacant Catholic school
Las Vegas firefighters responded to a two-alarm blaze at a vacant school Monday morning.
Just before 8:30 a.m., fire officials were called to the vacant St. Joseph Catholic School, 1300 E. Bridger Ave., near Maryland Parkway, said Tim Szymanski of the Las Vegas Fire Department.
Heavy smoke was coming from the building, with the blaze mostly confined to the attic and roof. The former elementary school opened in 1948 and closed in 2013.
“As we were arriving on scene there were squatters leaving the building,” Szymanski said.
Scott Harding lives next to the school.
“This property has been abandoned for at least two years, and the homeless come into there constantly,” he said.
Firefighters brought the fire under control in less than 15 minutes, the department reported.
Szymanski said the fire caused about $75,000 in damage. The cause of the fire was officially ruled as undetermined, he said.
Contact Blake Apgar at bapgar@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5298. Follow @blakeapgar on Twitter.
