Firefighters battle two blazes in north Las Vegas this morning

Wednesday, July 9, 2003 | 11:18 a.m.

A two-alarm electrical fire damaged the roof and attic of a house near Rancho and Vegas drives about 7 a.m. today, fire officials said.

No one was home by the time firefighters arrived; the two occupants left the house after it filled with smoke, Las Vegas Fire Department spokesman Tim Szymanski said.

Neighbors reported the fire and firefighters responded to the house, in the 1100 block of Ramona Circle, and found the roof burning. A second alarm was dispatched, and firefighters extinguished the fire within 10 minutes.

The occupants told investigators that one of them was asleep and the other came home about 1 a.m. and found the house full of smoke. They couldn't find the source and it didn't appear to be getting worse, so they left the house and checked into a hotel without calling the fire department, Szymanski said.

"The incident could have been prevented if the occupants had called firefighters earlier, when the smoke was first noticed," he said.

Most of the contents of the house were saved by firefighters. Damage was estimated at $100,000.

Firefighters responded to another fire about 8:30 this morning. A young boy playing with fireworks caused a fire in the back of his house, near Michael Way and West Washington Avenue. It caused $2,500 in damage.