Space heater blamed for North Las Vegas fire that killed woman
A fire that killed a 74-year-old woman in North Las Vegas Thursday night was caused by bedding that came in contact with an electric space heater, officials said.
The North Las Vegas Fire Department responded to the blaze at about 7 p.m. in the 3200 block of East Orr Avenue, near East Carey Avenue and Belmont Street, Deputy Fire Chief Travis Anderson said. After the blaze was extinguished the body of a woman was found inside.
On its Facebook page Friday the Fire Department said the victim was 74, and that an electric space heater was to blame.
“The cause of last night’s fire was a portable electric heater that caught the victim’s bedding on fire,” the post said.
The victim’s name was not released by the Clark County coroner’s office pending notification of next of kin.
The Fire Department also issued on its Facebook page a number of safety tips for portable electrical space heaters. They include keeping the heater at least three feet away from anything flammable and placing the heater on a solid, flat surface. You should make sure your heater has an auto shut-off to turn it off if it tips over. Also, keep kids away from the heater, keep it out of areas where there is regular foot traffic, and plug it directly into a wall outlet. You should not use an extension cord with a space heater. Finally, the space heater should be turned off and unplugged when you go to bed.
Contact Glenn Puit at gpuit@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0390. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.