Woman suspected of setting fire to Las Vegas condo
A woman who Las Vegas police found covered in soot early Friday is suspected of setting fire to her northwest valley condo.
Chanell Nicholas, 30, faces one count of first-degree arson. She was being held Friday on $20,000 bail at the Clark County Detention Center, jail records show.
About 12:35 a.m. Friday, the Las Vegas Fire Department was notified of smoke coming from a first-floor condo on the 3500 block of Winterhaven Street, near West Cheyenne Avenue and North Rainbow Boulevard.
There, firefighters found a woman trying to put the fire out with a garden hose, according to Fire Department spokesman Tim Szymanski. They pulled the woman from the condo to be treated for smoke inhalation, but she was gone before paramedics could treat her, Szymanski said.
She was found a short time later by Las Vegas police and taken back to the scene for treatment. She was initially released, Szymanski said, but in a later interview with arson investigators, Nicholas admitted to setting fire to her couch.
“It appears it was the result of an ongoing domestic dispute,” Szymanski said.
No one was injured in the fire, but at least eight people were receiving assistance from the American Red Cross.
The woman’s 48-hour hearing was scheduled for Friday morning.
Contact Rio Lacanlale at rlacanlale@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @riolacanlale on Twitter.
