‘Unattended cooking’ caused North Las Vegas fire that killed 3
Officials announced Wednesday that “unattended cooking” caused the blaze that ultimately killed a man, woman and 6-year-old girl last week in North Las Vegas.
“Numerous calls” first reported the Dec. 1 fire at 2736 St. George St., near the intersection of Civic Center Drive and East Carey Avenue, about 7 p.m., North Las Vegas fire Capt. Cedric Williams said. Three people were trapped inside, and all three were rushed to a nearby hospital.
The next day, Ignacio Meza, 78, died, though the county coroner’s office had not determined his cause of death Wednesday. Both Placida Parra, 76, and Jannely Rivera, 6, later died Monday because of smoke and soot inhalation.
Williams said nearly 50 firefighters responded to the blaze at the family’s single-story home. It took nearly an hour for crews to completely contain the fire, and as a result, the house sustained about $250,000 in damage — a “complete loss.”
No firefighters or bystanders were injured in the blaze.
Williams added that the home had no working smoke detectors, though he clarified that “smoke detectors aren’t guaranteed to save a life.”
Still, the National Fire Protection Association says properly installed smoke alarms “play a vital role in reducing fire deaths and injuries.” In a public education post on the association’s website, the association urges homeowners to install interconnected smoke alarms in “every sleeping room and outside each separate sleeping area,” as well as “on every level of the home.”
Neighbors said the family who lived at the home was multigenerational, and Williams said the relatives who were not home during the blaze are being assisted by Southern Nevada Red Cross.
A GoFundMe page created to assist the family had raised more than $18,500 as of Wednesday.
Contact Rachel Crosby at rcrosby@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290. Follow @rachelacrosby on Twitter.
