Woman faces arson, attempted murder charges in Henderson fire
A 33-year-old woman has been charged with eight counts of arson and nine counts of attempted murder on allegations of setting a New Year’s Day fire that displaced 40 people and did an estimated $200,000 in damage to an apartment complex.
Tameca Taylor was booked into Henderson Detention Center at 3 a.m. on Saturday, jail records show. She is being held on a more than a $500,000 bond.
Authorities said Taylor set her bed on fire after a confrontation with her boyfriend at their apartment at 1100 Center St. in Henderson, hoping to kill him. She is also accused of attacking him and another man with a knife.
Eight other fires across the Las Vegas Valley in recent days have displaced an additional 40 people. In response to the blazes, firefighters in the valley donated $5,000 to the American Red Cross.
The American Red Cross has spent more than $15,000 assisting displaced families with food, shelter and clothing.
On Friday, the Red Cross provided assistance to five adults and two children displaced by fires. On Saturday, the agency assisted 40 people, 20 of them children, at the Henderson apartment complex fire. They also assisted a family of seven at a fire in Pahrump early that morning, and two adults in Las Vegas that evening.
The charity responded to four fires Sunday that displaced 24 people, including 10 people at a mobile home park.
Monday afternoon, a plumber was transported to University Medical Center after receiving major burn injuries in a Henderson home that caught fire. The Red Cross did not respond to the fire, which was ruled accidental.
"Thanks to the firefighters, we have additional resources to help the residents of Southern Nevada who are victims of home fires," said Scott Emerson, CEO of the Southern Nevada Chapter
To donate to the Red Cross, call 702-369-3674 or visit www.redcrosslasvegas.org.
