Man dies in LV fire

Keith Paul and Jace Radke

Monday, Dec. 27, 1999 | 10:10 a.m.

A 28-year-old man died early this morning after the Christmas tree in his apartment caught fire filling the home with smoke, Las Vegas Fire Department officials said.

When firefighters arrived at the Silver Shadow apartments, 8301 W. Charleston Blvd., about 3:25 a.m. they didn't see any smoke or flames coming from the two-story apartment building, fire department spokesman Tim Szymanski said.

When firefighters searched the apartments, they found there had been a blaze in one of the units, but it was already out. They found the man's body on the floor by a window in the bedroom.

"He possibly might have been trying to get out of the apartment when the fire occurred," Szymanski said.

The Christmas tree apparently caught fire and was on the floor blocking the front door, he said.

The man shared the apartment with his fiancee and an infant, but both the woman and baby were not home at the time of the fire, officials said.

Fire investigators were not sure this morning what caused the fire, and the investigation is continuing. An estimated $20,000 in damage was caused, Szymanski said.

In a fire Sunday night, Clark County Fire investigators believe a man smoking in bed unwittingly started the blaze injuring a 65-year-old man.

Just after 9 p.m., neighbors noticed smoke pouring out of the windows of the home at 4865 Nevada Ave., near Charleston and Lamb boulevards.

Firefighters began searching the house for people trapped inside when they arrived on the scene, and came across a nearly unconscious 65-year-old man sprawled on the kitchen floor, department spokesman Steve La-Sky said.

"It was really a textbook rescue," La-Sky said. "Our guys were crawling on the floor through the house looking for victims and they came upon him. The house was filled with smoke with the only visibility being in a 2-foot-high space along the floor."

The victim is believed to have fallen and hit his head in the kitchen as he attempted to escape the burning house. He was taken to University Medical Center where he was admitted for trauma to the head and severe smoke inhalation.

"He's in guarded condition because he does suffer from emphysema and he took in a lot of smoke," La-Sky said. "It looks like he took a nasty spill in the kitchen."

Another elderly man, the victim's roommate, escaped with only minor smoke inhalation and was treated at the scene. The roommate along with the victim's wife and cousin were assisted by the Red Cross to find temporary shelter.

"The house was pretty much gutted," La-Sky said. "Damage estimates are at about $50,000."

Investigators have determined that smoking in bed caused the fire.

The injured man used bottled oxygen to treat his emphysema, which was another concern for firefighters as they worked to contain the fire.

"Those can definitely blow," La-Sky said of the oxygen bottles. "They are highly flammable, but we don't believe they played a part in the cause of the fire."

There were about 10 bottles of oxygen in the man's garage when the fire broke out.