Man burned in downtown fire dies

By Mary Manning

Wednesday, June 4, 2008 | 10:55 a.m.

A middle-aged man who suffered third-degree burns over most of his body died late Tuesday night in the burn unit of University Medical Center, Las Vegas Fire Department spokesman Tim Szymanski said.

Las Vegas Fire Department and Metro Police are investigating the cause of the fire behind a fiberglass shed in the 900 block of Commerce near Main Street, Szymanski said. Fire investigators believe the blaze was accidental.

This is the fourth death related to a fire in the city this year, Szymanski said.

The man has not been identified, a Clark County Coroner's Office spokeswoman said.

A Las Vegas Fire Department inspector was driving by the area about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday when he spotted what he thought was a rubbish fire. After calling in a report, he saw a man surrounded by flames. The inspector yelled for the man to move, and the victim backed away and collapsed on the sidewalk, Szymanski said.

Two mattresses, a couple boxes of clothing and a small amount of trash along with the fiberglass shed were all in flames, Szymanski said.

There was a large amount of smoking materials found in the area where the fire started, Szymanski said.