Firefighters rescue 4 people trapped in central Las Vegas fire
Firefighters carried out a dramatic rescue of four squatters trapped in a burning vacant home in central Las Vegas early Thursday.
Las Vegas Fire Department spokesman Tim Szymanski said the fire was reported at 5:29 a.m. at 4317 Mott Circle, near Arville Street and West Sahara Avenue. The home was supposed to be vacant, with its doors and windows covered by steel security bars. That prevented the squatters from escaping after the fire started.
“When they (firefighters) went around to the rear they found the rear of the house on fire,” Szymanski said. “There were two victims trapped in a bedroom. They broke out the glass with their hands( and) they had their heads stuck through the bars of a rear window trying to breathe. There was thick black heavy smoke coming out over their heads.”
Las Vegas and Clark County firefighters were able to cut the security bars off the window and pull two victims to safety. Moments later they rescued two other victims who were trapped at the front of the home in the same manner.
Two of the four victims were taken to the hospital suffering from minor smoke inhalation and cuts to their hands. They are expected to survive. The two other victims declined medical treatment.
Szymanski said the firefighters clearly saved the victims’ lives with their quick actions.
“If we’d been five minutes later we would have had four fatalities,” he said.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
Contact Glenn Puit at gpuit@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0390. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.
