Fires take toll on Red Cross funds

Jace Radke

Wednesday, March 8, 2000 | 10:51 a.m.

Helping out

To make a donation call (702) 791-3311, or mail to American Red Cross, 1330 E. Karen Ave., Suite B, Las Vegas, NV 89128.

The Red Cross is spent.

After helping Las Vegas residents get back on their feet in the wake of four major apartment fires in the past two weeks, the agency's emergency funds coffers are nearly empty, according to Clark County Red Cross Director Carolyn Levering.

"The number of people helped by the Red Cross over the past two weeks is easily over 100," Levering said after working with the 36 residents displaced by Tuesday's fatal fire at the Cedar Springs Apartments, 1750 E. Karen Ave.

In a normal month the Red Cross spends about $18,000 helping residents who have lost their homes because of fires or other disasters, but in February that number jumped to $30,000, and it's only getting worse.

"We've already spent over $30,000 just one week into this month," Levering said. "We have called the national office for more funds. We are pretty much out of money."

Fires began to stack up on the Red Cross two weeks ago, when 24 people were forced from their homes after a fire ripped through the Four Horizons Apartments, 1450 E. Harmon Ave.

On Friday a fire at the Las Brisas Apartments, 1000 Dumont Blvd., near Maryland Parkway and Desert Inn Road, destroyed the homes of about 15 people for whom the Red Cross found temporary housing.

Volunteers had already helped 20 displaced residents Tuesday at an early morning fire at the Charleston Woods Apartments, 2900 E. Charleston Blvd., when they were called to the Cedar Springs fire.

Walter Reed, director of financial development for the Clark County Red Cross, says that the agency tries to keep a reserve in case of multiple emergencies, but that also has been spent.

"We've been hard pressed the last couple of months, because we've had about twice the normal activity," Reed said.

When someone becomes the victim of a fire, earthquake or other disaster, the Red Cross provides vouchers for clothing, food, furniture, shelter or whatever else is needed to get on with life, Reed said.

Jace Radke is a reporter for the Sun. He can be reached at (702) 259-2318 or by e-mail at jace@lasvegassun.com.