Man found dead in burned building

Monday, Oct. 7, 2002 | 11:24 a.m.

A fire in an abandoned apartment building that killed a homeless man early Saturday appears to be arson, Clark County Fire Department spokesman Bob Leinbach said this morning.

Firefighters discovered the dead man in the apartment building at Tropicana Avenue and Nellis Boulevard early Saturday morning.

Fire investigators brought their arson dog, Wren, to the scene and the dog detected a flammable liquid inside the building, Leinbach said.

Assistant Chief Joe Planck said $360,000 in damage was done.

When firefighters arrived at the apartment complex about 2:30 a.m., the eight- unit building was in flames. The fire took about 45 minutes to put out, Planck said.

Firefighters did not find the victim, who was badly burned, until after the blaze was out. Investigators do not yet know whether the man died because of the fire or was already dead.

The victim's identity was still unknown this morning, the Clark County coroner's office said.

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