LV man charged in apparent suicide try

Karen Zekan

Tuesday, Jan. 12, 1999 | 10:40 a.m.

The district attorney's office has charged a Las Vegas man with first-degree arson in connection with his apparent natural-gas suicide attempt last week that blasted the roof off a northeast Las Vegas apartment complex.

Michael McGilbra, 40, was cooperative when arrested by fire investigators Monday afternoon at Montevista Hospital, a Las Vegas care facility for people with emotional and behavioral issues.

He was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on felony arson charge. He was also charged with wanton disregard for public safety and property, a gross misdemeanor.

Damage to La Fiesta complex, 1492 N. Lamb Blvd., has been estimated at $500,000.

The Clark County district attorney's office was handed the case last week for review, yet has declined to discuss specifics. The details, officials said, will be disclosed if the case goes to trial.

Perhaps the most intriguing detail yet to be shared is what triggered the explosion inside McGilbra's second-floor apartment that investigators said was filled with natural gas.

"Fire investigators also felt that McGilbra was responsible for the ignition of that gas," Tim Szymanski, Las Vegas Fire Department spokesman, said.

Preliminary reports indicated that McGilbra sparked the Jan. 4 explosion by lighting a cigarette.

Three children were cut by flying glass but not seriously injured when the northwest corner of the roof blasted off Building Five, just above the unit where McGilbra had been living with his girlfriend and two children.

Repairs are under way at the complex to rebuild the damaged half of the building.

Investigators from the Las Vegas Fire Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms combed the rubble in subsequent days and concluded after tests by Southwest Gas Corp. that McGilbra had intentionally filled his apartment with natural gas by disconnecting his stove's flex hose from the wall.

The blast knocked McGilbra unconscious. He was hospitalized in the burn unit at University Medical Center for several days where he was treated for second-degree facial burns.

McGilbra allegedly made statements during interviews with investigators at the hospital that led them to believe he wanted to kill himself, Szymanski said.