Two-Alarm Fire Damages Charleston Heights Apartment Building
One Person Hospitalized Due To Minor Smoke Inhalation
One person is hospitalized with minor smoke inhalation after he escaped from his second floor apartment through a bedroom window when it caught fire Saturday afternoon. The man also suffered a minor leg injury after he went out the window, hung out and then let go to escape. His injuries are not life threatening. The cause of the fire is under investigation. The American Red Cross is assisting those who are displaced.
Fire dispatchers received numerous 9-1-1 calls at 2:54 p.m. Saturday, June 11, that a balcony was on fire of a second floor apartment building at the Lantana Apartments, 1200 S. Torrey Pines Drive.
When firefighters arrived they found heavy fire on the outside of the apartment building on the balcony and it was burning through the eaves of the roof into the attic. Brisk and gusty southwest winds help to push the fire into the attic of the two story wood frame/stucco apartment building with 16 units. The fire spread quickly once in the attic. A second alarm was then requested to double the number of personnel and resources on scene. A total of 32 fire units with 85 personnel responded to the scene from Las Vegas and Clark County fire departments.
It took firefighters approximately one hour to bring the fire under control. The attic and four apartments on the second floor were destroyed by the fire. The apartments directly below had heavy smoke and water damage. The building was separated by a fire wall in the middle of the building which prevented the fire from spreading to the other half. That half of the building which consisted of eight apartments had moderate damage, mostly due to water. Damage is estimated at $500,000.
The occupant of the apartment where the fire started told fire investigators at the hospital that he was asleep and woke to a large bang on the patio. When he got up to investigate, he said the balcony was heavily involved with fire and had already spread to the interior of the unit, blocked his escape through the front door. He went back into the bedroom, crawled out the bedroom window and hung by his hands and then let go. He was met by firefighters who provided immediate medical aid and then took him to the hospital for further treatment. He said he had no idea how the fire started.
Firefighters were expected to remain on scene for several hours looking for any remaining hot spots that might flare back up due to the gusty winds overnight.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The management of the complex is working with the American Red Cross and those displaced. A number of displaced people was not available.
There were no injuries to any first responders on scene. They had to work for several hours on a record breaking temperature day of 109 degrees during the incident.
END ## LVFR/PEIO-TRS
E6,103,2,44,22,43,5,42,15,10,28,47, T6,22,43,1, R6,103,44, EMS1, AR1,14, B1,4,10,2,7, PIO1, 6i1,2,6
Incident: 2242234 Ward: 1
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