Gas line suspected in Las Vegas apartment fire

A fire heavily damaged a Las Vegas apartment complex at around 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, affecting at least 12 apartments, officials said. As of 4 p.m. on Wednesday, the fire had not yet been contained.

Initial reports had mentioned a possible issue with a gas line at the three-story apartment building at 1000 Dumont Blvd., but this has yet to be investigated, according to Brian O’Neal, assistant chief for the Clark County Fire Department.

One report of a person suffering from smoke inhalation has been received but not yet verified, O’Neal said. No other injuries have been reported.

Residents in the damaged apartments and those neighboring them will have to be relocated, O’Neal said. While the exact number of residents needing short-term housing is not confirmed, he said it is a large number.

“It is 112 degrees out here today. It’s very hot. And so one of our primary considerations now is maintaining the safety of the residents that had to be evacuated,” O’Neal said.

Standing amid the smoke from the fire, O’Neal explained that there has been a history of fires at this location in the past. “There’s some construction features here that make them prone to some of the larger fires, including a common attic space,” he said.

There was also another apartment fire on Wednesday. All 12 units in an apartment building at 4480 Sirius Avenue had “significant damage” after a fire there was reported just before 4 p.m., the Clark County Fire Department said in a news release Wednesday night. Everyone was evacuated, O’Neal said in the release.

Contact Estelle Atkinson at eatkinson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @estellelilym on X.