Man dead after trying to save pets in eastern Las Vegas Valley fire
A man died late Friday after running into his burning home to save his pets in the eastern Las Vegas Valley.
Reports of the house fire came in just before 11:30 p.m. Friday. When Clark County Fire Department crews arrived in the neighborhood near Flamingo and Sandhill roads, they found heavy fire and smoke pouring out of a home at 4408 Ridgecrest Drive.
“Due to the volume of fire and smoke, fire crews had to fight their way into the structure to perform a search and rescue operation,” Fire Department spokesman Greg Cassell said in a statement early Saturday. “Additional firefighters were called to the scene to assist with this intense situation.”
At the scene, witnesses told firefighters they watched a man who had escaped the fire run back into the house to rescue his family’s pets. It’s unclear whether the animals survived the blaze.
The man was later found inside the home, and emergency personnel pronounced him dead at the scene, Cassell said. He will be identified by the Clark County coroner’s office once his family has been notified.
More than 35 county firefighters responded to the scene. The cause of the blaze was being investigated by the Fire Department’s investigation division as of early Saturday, and damages to the property had not yet been estimated.
The American Red Cross is assisting the displaced residents.
Contact Rio Lacanlale at rlacanlale@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @riolacanlale on Twitter.