Cause of fire at vacant downtown building under investigation
The Las Vegas Fire Department is investigating the cause of a fire in a downtown Las Vegas vacant two-story building where “squatters” were seen Saturday morning.
Fire crews were called to the fire, at 320 S. First St., about 9 a.m. Saturday, fire department spokesman Tim Szymanski said outside the scene. A passerby reported the fire after seeing black smoke coming from the building.
Only two people were hurt with minor injuries — cuts on their hands from broken glass, Szymanski said. They were treated at the scene and released.
The building appeared to be a boarded-up motel, Szymanksi said. Multiple fire trucks were seen in front of the building, which is near the Golden Nugget parking garage and the Clark County Detention Center.
The fire was extinguished by 9:45 a.m., the fire department said.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation Saturday. Szymanski said he didn’t have an estimate for how many people were inside when the fire broke out, but firefighters were speaking with homeless people in the area.
“They did say everyone was out of the building,” he said.
Fire investigators had not yet estimated the cost of damage to the building, Szymanski said.
While sitting on a curb near the fire trucks, Jayquon Glover said he managed to get out of the building Saturday morning after waking up to the fire. He said he’s homeless and frequently stays in the building, but he’s not sure how many people were inside.
“I woke up and there was fire in that room,” he said, adding that flames were coming from a room next to where he was sleeping.
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.
