Blaze destroys 5 unfinished houses

Angela Soo

Friday, Sept. 21, 2001 | 9:06 a.m.

A fire in the valley's northwest Thursday night destroyed five unoccupied homes that were under construction.

The houses were part of San Marino Estates, which is being developed by Distinctive Homes in the 8900 block of Silk Bonnett Court near U.S. 95 and Grand Teton Drive. There were no reported injuries.

The damage is estimated at $300,000, said Tim Szymanski, a spokesman for the Las Vegas Fire Department.

About 50 firefighters responded. They protected the completed model homes that were sitting next to the burning houses, Szymanski said.

"If one model home burned down, that would be $300,000 right there," Szymanski said.

A shortage of fire stations covering the northwest area put strain on the fire station at North Buffalo Drive and Wittig Avenue, whose crews were the first to arrive.

"The next closest fire station is three miles south at Rainbow Boulevard and Rancho Drive," Szymanski said. "We were also pulling in fire engines from downtown."

Four new fire stations in the northwest area -- with one in Summerlin and another at Smoke Ranch Road and Jones Boulevard -- are to be built soon with money approved from a bond issue voters approved last year.

The other two proposed locations have not been determined, Szymanski said.

"We're behind the curve," Szymanski said. "This will help get our units closer and able to respond faster."

Las Vegas broke ground in May for a new fire station at Oakey and Martin Luther King boulevards. That station should be completed by June 2002, Szymanski said.