Fire knocks out power to 165 homes in central Las Vegas

A fire damaged two houses, injured one person and knocked out power to dozens of central valley homes on Friday afternoon, Las Vegas Department said on Twitter.

The fire began at 4505 Alta Drive and spread to a neighboring house, the Fire Department said.

A utility pole was burned, knocking out power to about 165 homes in the area, spokesman Tim Szymanski said. Power might not be restored until morning.

As a result, the city of Las Vegas and Red Cross of Southern Nevada opened Mirabelli Community Center, 6200 Hargrove Ave., where those affected could take shelter while crews worked to restore power.

A man trimming trees was burning the limbs in a fire pit, Szymanski said. He went inside his house for a minute and returned to find his shed was on fire. The flames quickly spread to his house and a neighbor’s house.

The man’s cat died, Szymanski said.

Damage was estimated at $150,000.

Alta Drive was closed from Valley View Boulevard to Decatur Drive as crews mopped up the scene.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter. Review-Journal staff writer Mike Shoro contributed to this report.