House fire kills four pets

Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2000 | 9:26 a.m.

A Tuesday evening fire in southeast Las Vegas has left a family of seven homeless and four pets dead, fire officials said.

The fire was started by a child playing with matches or a lighter, said Clark County Fire Department spokesman Steve La-Sky.

"It's a real tragedy because the mother of this family had just gone out shopping yesterday (Monday) to buy her children clothes and supplies for school," La-Sky said. "Now they have nothing, and they had no insurance."

When firefighters arrived at the blaze, the two-story home was engulfed in flames. It took about 20 minutes to extinguish the fire. Two cats and two rabbits died inside the home.

The home was occupied by a couple and their five children, ages 2 to 13, La-Sky said. The parents and the 2-year-old were out running an errand when the fire started in a couch on the rear patio of the residence.

A damage estimate was placed at $200,000.

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