Investigation into fatal Las Vegas house fire could take months, chief says
Clark County Fire Chief John Steinbeck said Wednesday that the investigation into the cause of the southwest Las Vegas house fire that left four people dead last week was expected to take at least three months to a year and that the department probably would not provide another update until the investigation is complete.
Steinbeck said that fire investigators believe the fire was accidental and that a smoke alarm went off during the blaze.
Ibrahim Adem, 48, Abdusalem Adem, 43, Anaya Adem, 7, and Aaliyah Adem, 6, were found dead after the fire gutted the house at 8332 Langhorne Creek St., the Clark County coroner’s office has said.
Abdusalem Adem’s wife, Senait Adem, and her son, Amani, survived by jumping out of a third-floor window. As the rest of the family got ready to follow, the roof and floor collapsed, according to a GoFundMe page for the family. Steinbeck said he couldn’t confirm the sequence of events that prevented the other family members from jumping from the house.
“We have learned that smoke alarms did alert the occupants that morning, and that is why we credit the smoke alarms with the two survivors we have,” Steinbeck said. “We’re so grateful that they were able to get out.”
Fire crews were called just before 4:10 a.m. Thursday to the blaze, which caused the roof, third floor and second floor to collapse into a debris field in the garage, a Clark County spokesperson said.
The house was largely demolished on Monday.
“We wanted to take down the rest of the structure so that, quite simply, walls didn’t fall into the houses next to it,” Steinbeck said.
Assistant Fire Chief Carlito Rayos encouraged anyone with video of the fire before 4 a.m. to share their footage with fire officials to help investigators better understand the fire’s behavior before the roof collapsed.
Steinbeck said those who wish to support the family financially during this time can donate to the Southern Nevada Burn Foundation, which will be donating 100 percent of its proceeds to the Adem family.
“Our hearts go out to the family,” Steinbeck said.
The fire chief said that the department has spoken with relatives of the Adem family on a personal and investigative level.
Contact Akiya Dillon at adillon@reviewjournal.com
