Fire destroys 10 homes under construction in southwest Las Vegas
Authorities are trying to determine if a large fire early Thursday at a home construction site in southwest Las Vegas is related to a massive January blaze at apartments under construction in the same area.
Clark County Deputy Fire Chief Warren Whitney said firefighters were called at 1:48 a.m. to Coja Street and Desert Cassia Avenue, near Russell Road and Durango Drive, for a fire at a home construction site. The fire burned 10 homes under construction to the ground, causing about $1 million in damage.
“As crews began to fight the fire, it became apparent that more resources were needed,” Whitney wrote in a press release.
Firefighters brought two more fire engines to help fight the blaze before it was extinguished.
A cause of the fire is not known, but a fire investigation dog was brought to the scene this morning by a North Las Vegas Fire Department investigator to help county investigators.
Whitney confirmed in a phone interview Thursday afternoon that authorities have not ruled out the possibility that Thursday’s fire could be related to a Jan. 18 blaze at the Ely at Fort Apache apartment complex, 5055 S. Fort Apache Road. That overnight fire was ruled arson, but no one has been arrested.
“We are not ruling out any possibilities,” Whitney said when asked if there could be a link between the two fires.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ San Francisco Field Division is helping the investigation into the January fire that caused an estimated $35 million in damage.
Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.