Two children die in van fire

Jace Radke

Monday, Aug. 20, 2001 | 10:33 a.m.

The family had spent the day at Wet 'n Wild and stopped on the way home at their friends' home to show off 3-month-old baby twins.

The carefree Saturday visit among mothers and their children ended in tragedy as a van fire caused by children playing with matches killed one of the twins and a 4-year-old brother.

The fire struck about 5:45 p.m. Saturday in an alley behind the Shenandoah Apartments, near Eastern Avenue and U.S. 95.

Three other children were injured, fire department spokesman Tim Szymanski said. A 10-year-old sister remained in serious condition at University Medical Center's burn unit today. Two brothers, ages 5 and 9, and their mother were treated for minor burns and released.

Angel Rivera, 14, said that his friends and their mother had stopped by his home with the 3-month-old twins after a trip to the water park.

"Their mom wanted to show us the new babies, but she said she couldn't stay for long, and we got most of them back in the van," Rivera said. "Their mom went back up to the house for a second, and then we noticed the fire."

Fire investigators say that the visit at Rivera's home lasted for about 15 minutes.

Rivera said the two families had known each other since the two mothers met while working at the same day-care facility.

"My mom was talking about going dancing with their mom that night," Rivera said. "My sister was going to baby-sit."

The teen joined family members and neighbors in an attempt to free the five children trapped inside the van, but the rescuers were able to pull out only three of the children before the flames pushed them back.

"It's just sad," Rivera said Sunday. "I played with them all the time. Our families were real close."

Firefighters responded but, like the neighbors, couldn't get past the flames to save the two other children, Szymanski said.

"The firefighters were told that the children were inside, but the van was already completely consumed by fire," Szymanski said.

Craig Jones, who also lives in the apartment complex, said that the tragedy couldn't be explained.

"It was just an accident," Jones said. "I wish I would have been here because I have a fire extinguisher."

Fire Department investigators and Metro Police homicide detectives worked together to determine that the fire was accidental, Szymanski said.

The victims were the eighth and ninth fire fatalities within Las Vegas city limits this year. There were three fire-related deaths last year in the city.