11-year-old charged in string of LV fires

Keith Paul

Thursday, Aug. 3, 2000 | 11:05 a.m.

An 11-year-old boy is charged with setting a string of fires Wednesday, including one that gutted a convenience store under construction, fire officials said.

Firefighters raced from one fire to the next for several hours up and down Nellis Boulevard between Charleston Boulevard and Stewart Avenue.

Clark County and Las Vegas fire investigators worked with Metro Police gathering information about the fires and arrested the 11-year-old boy, who was taken to the Clark County Juvenile Detention Center. His name was not released because of his age.

He is accused of setting 10 fires in a matter of a few hours, including the costly blaze at a Hugh Otter Stop N Shop under construction on Charleston Boulevard and Arden Street. Damage in that fire was estimated at $500,000.

A plume of smoke went high into the air from the fire only an hour after an unrelated tanker truck fire on U.S. 95 filled the air with smoke.

The boy is accused of setting fires at six other businesses -- an Albertson's grocery store, Vons grocery store, Kmart, Target, Pistol Pete's Pizza and Arden Car Wash. The boy is also suspected in three car fires, Steve La-Sky, a Clark County Fire Department spokesman, said.

"It was extremely tough with the heat conditions and running from fire to fire to fire," he said. "Luckily no one in any of the businesses was injured and no firefighters were hurt. We were fortunate to escape without any injuries."

Many of the fires caused little damage but stretched thin the city and county's firefighting capabilities, La-Sky said.

The fires were started in various methods, but in most cases it was paper stuffed into duct work or started in a trash can, he said.

"This wasn't high-tech arsonist's work," La-Sky said. "We're glad this youth is off the street. He seriously taxed the firefighters."

In an unrelated fire, the Nevada Equal Rights Commission offices were severely damaged Wednesday night.

A two-alarm blaze caused about $700,000 in damage to the offices at the Executive Center East, 1515 E. Tropicana Ave., about 8:15 p.m.