Mom, baby, 41 dogs rescued from house fire in North Las Vegas
A mother, her 1-month-old baby and 41 dogs were rescued early Tuesday from a house fire in North Las Vegas.
The fire was reported at 1:10 a.m. on the 3300 block of Beca Faith Drive, near Martin Luther King Boulevard and West Cheyenne Avenue, according to the North Las Vegas Fire Department.
Dispatchers told fire crews that two people were trapped in the two-story home, and the first floor was engulfed in flames, the department said.
Firefighters used a ladder to reach the second floor, where the mother and child were hiding in a bedroom closet. They were taken to University Medical Center and treated for smoke inhalation. The woman was released Tuesday morning, but her child is expected to stay overnight for observation.
The fire was accidental, according to Deputy Fire Chief Travis Anderson, and appears to have started after multiple portable heaters plugged into the same outlet overloaded a circuit.
He credited smoke alarms in the home and a closed bedroom door for aiding in the woman and child’s survival. He said sleeping with a bedroom door closed keeps heat and smoke out of the room, giving occupants time to wake up and react before they’re overtaken by either.
North Las Vegas spokesman Patrick Walker said the 41 dogs were all French and English bulldogs. They were found in kennels in the home’s garage, backyard and living room, but weren’t near the fire and were all in “good health.”
Fire officials initially reported finding 42 dogs.
The dogs are in North Las Vegas Animal Control custody and are being held at The Animal Foundation. Walker no one has come forward to claim the dogs and that their owner may face misdemeanor charges for animal code violations.
Animal control has opened its own investigation and will determine if any charges should be filed.
The Animal Foundation can be reached at 702-384-3333.
Contact Max Michor at mmichor@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0365. Follow @MaxMichor on Twitter.