Woman found in West Las Vegas apartment fire dies
A woman died after firefighters found her injured in a Thursday night apartment fire in West Las Vegas, a fire official said.
The blaze was reported at 6 p.m., and the woman, whose identity has yet to be released, was pronounced dead at University Medical Center within an hour, said Tim Szymanski, spokesman for the Las Vegas Fire Department.
The cause of the fire, at the corner of H Street and West Bonanza Road, is under investigation. It will be conducted by the Metropolitan Police Department's homicide unit along with the Clark County coroner's office and the city's fire and rescue squad.
"An elderly lady perished in a bathroom. It all happened inside one of those one-story, concrete blocks apartment complexes, and this one had four units in it," Szymanski said. "It was probably built in the 1950s or 1960s."
When firefighters arrived on scene, Szymanski said flames were coming out the back window of the apartment.
When they entered the apartment, they discovered the mattress was on fire in the bedroom, Szymanski said.
The woman, who had burns on her upper body, was later found in the bathroom tub, about three feet from the bedroom, he said.
Contact reporter Tom Ragan at tragan@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5512.
