Investigators look for arson in blaze that took four lives

Keith Paul

Thursday, March 16, 2000 | 10:59 a.m.

Fire investigators have sent chunks of flooring to a lab to see if there is evidence of arson in last week's deadly apartment blaze.

The flooring came from the apartment of Helen Williams, where Clark County fire investigators say the March 7 blaze at the Cedar Springs Apartments, 1750 E. Karen Ave., started.

Williams' three children -- ages 4, 3, and 2 -- and a 73-year-old man in another apartment died in the blaze.

Josie, the fire department's arson-detection dog, pointed with her nose to several pieces of the flooring Wednesday afternoon, indicating she smelled a possible flammable substance. But investigators are waiting until a lab determines what is on the pieces of carpeting and concrete.

"Some carpet adhesives are petroleum based, so we need to wait and see what the lab determines," said fire investigator Clifford Mitchell, Josie's handler.

Investigators said Josie's findings narrowed down the probe, but they still don't know if the fire was deliberately set or if it was an accident.

"The book is wide open on this," said Assistant Fire Chief William Porter of the fire investigation unit.

Earlier Wednesday construction crews were reconstructing the eight-unit apartment building so that investigators can go up the second floor and see the way the fire burned through the building, Clark County Fire Department spokesman Bob Leinbach said.

The fire led to $500,000 in damage and forced 36 people from their homes. The complex's insurance company is paying for the reconstruction and has hired a fire investigator, who is working with Clark County fire investigators.

"All we're doing is looking for the truth," said Jim Hall, a fire investigator based in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Williams said she was asleep on the couch when she awoke to an apartment filled with fire. She said she tried to reach her children in the bedroom but was unable and fled the apartment.

Investigators have spoken with several people who lived in the building, searching for clues to the cause of the fire. Metro Police homicide detectives are working with fire investigators in case the fire was deliberately set.

If it was arson, the deaths of the three children -- Ledeana, Jae and Eric -- and the elderly man -- Sam Kloner -- would become homicides.

For now, investigators are waiting for the results from the lab to determine what was on the pieces of flooring from the apartment. If it doesn't yield the cause of the fire, Porter said, they will continue to search for answers.