Man dies in condo blaze

Keith Paul

Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2001 | 10:49 a.m.

Residents from a Las Vegas condominium rushed to help a woman who escaped a burning unit by jumping from the second floor Monday night, but a man inside the home couldn't get out and died in the blaze.

"She was screaming 'Help me, help me,' " Ray Chavira said. "She jumped from the second floor to the first floor balcony. I helped lift her over the (first floor patio) fence."

Clark County firefighters were called about 9 p.m. to the eight-unit building at the Casa Vegas Condominiums in the 1400 block of Vegas Valley Drive, near Sahara Avenue and Maryland Parkway. The man's unit was engulfed in flames, but the fire didn't spread to any of the other homes, Steve La-Sky, a Clark County Fire Department spokesman, said.

When firefighters entered the apartment, they found the male resident dead on the floor in the kitchen, La-Sky said. The cause of the fire is under investigation. The man's name was not released this morning until officials could notify his family. An autopsy will determine the cause of death.

The 44-year-old woman was in critical condition this morning at University Medical Center.

Residents tried to comfort the woman before firefighters and paramedics arrived.

"I tried to ask her name, but she could barely talk and was in so much pain," said Kay Liddell, a resident of a nearby building. "She was just mumbling, and then she said 'Will you tell my kids that I love them?' I told her they know it."

The woman's clothing was burned, and her hair was still smoldering when the residents rushed to her.

"She was still hot," Chavira said. "The firefighters poured water on her from the pool to cool her down."

Residents from the other seven units in the building were able to get out unharmed. About two dozen people were forced from their homes because of the fire. There was water and smoke damage to some of the other units.

Steve Holka stood outside watching the firefighters while he held his sleeping 11-month-old baby wrapped in a blanket. His wife stood nearby with their 3-year-old child.

"We live next door (to the unit that was destroyed by the fire) and heard some noise and then smelled a little bit of smoke," Holka said. "We came outside and then the fire spread very quickly."

Dozens of residents came out of their homes as the fire tore through the unit.

"It's so sad. His mother died a couple of months ago," said Cleda Romines, who has lived at the condominium complex for more than 20 years. "He came back to stay with her when she got sick."

Firefighters were able to quickly get control of the fire but called a second alarm as a precaution because of the number of units in the building, La-Sky said.

La-Sky also praised the actions of the residents who rushed to help the injured woman, but also cautioned people who try to help when a home is on fire.

"The residents did great assisting the woman," he said. "But we don't want people to try and fight fires or put themselves at risk."