Kids playing with lighter ignite deadly fire

Mary Manning and Ed Koch

Tuesday, July 22, 2003 | 11:15 a.m.

The Monday night apartment fire that killed a 4-year-old girl and left a 3-year-old boy and his grandmother hospitalized was started by children playing with a lighter, investigators have determined.

The Clark County coroner's office identified the dead child today as Leanna Magnuson-Miller of Las Vegas.

Michael Miller was in critical condition this morning in the University Medical Center's pediatric critical care unit, a hospital official said. According to American Red Cross of Southern Nevada records Michael and Leanna are cousins.

Donna Miller, grandmother of the two children, was in the UMC trauma burn unit today in serious condition, a hospital official said.

Beginning at 10:58 p.m., several frantic neighbors called 911 about the fire at the single-story apartment building in the 1900 block of Alwill Street.

"When firefighters arrived, at 11:03 p.m., flames were blowing out a window," Las Vegas Fire Department spokesman Tim Szymanski said.

Neighbors had used at least six fire extinguishers and buckets of water from surrounding stucco apartment buildings to battle the flames, but the intense heat prevented them from reaching the children, he said.

"All of us grabbed buckets to throw water on the fire," said next-door neighbor Javier Espinosa, a construction worker who was asleep when another neighbor knocked on the door.

"Everything was burning. We were able to stop the fire a little bit and take the woman out of the house who was unconscious. Then the firemen came and got the children out."

Another man, who said he was a friend of the family but refused to give his name, said two boys and a girl lived with their mother, grandmother and father in the apartment.

"The grandfather had been asleep on the couch in the living room with the 5-year-old and woke to people screaming the apartment was on fire," Szymanski said.

The grandfather tried to get to the bedroom, but flames and smoke drove him back, Szymanski said.

Although all of the children eventually were rushed to the hospital, the girl died at UMC and the 3-year-old boy suffered smoke inhalation and burns on about 75 percent of his body, Szymanski said.

The Clark County coroner's office will determine the cause of the girl's death.

The grandparents and the third child were taken to UMC for smoke inhalation, Szymanski said.

Two young men who fought the flames before firefighters arrived were treated at Valley Hospital and released, officials said.

Ted Zidenberg, a disaster action team captain for the American Red Cross of Southern Nevada, who responded to the scene, said from his count there were four adults and three children living in the two-bedroom apartment: two sisters, one of whom was the mother of the dead girl and the other who had two children; the grandfather and grandmother.

A third child, identified by authorities as a 5-year-old boy, escaped the blaze with his mother. Both suffered smoke inhalation. Zidenberg said, according to his notes, the third child, who also is a cousin of the dead girl, is a two-year-old girl.

"Every fire is a tragedy, but it is always tougher emotionally when kids are involved and there is a death," Zidenberg said, noting the family was given food vouchers.

Red Cross officials were scheduled to meet with the family today to help with replacement of clothing and other items, as well as offer them the opportunity to talk to grief counselors to help them through the ordeal.

The family, who had lived in the apartment about seven months, stayed with relatives last night, Zidenberg said.

Fire investigators determined that two of the children playing with a lighter accidentally set the bedding on fire.

When firefighters entered the apartment, they found two children at the base of a bed in the room where the fire started, Szymanski said.

"We don't know at this time which child had the lighter but because both of the children were in the room when the fighter started we are assuming that one of them was playing with it," Szymanski said. "Because both of them were unconscious we didn't have an opportunity to question them about it."

The investigation is continuing, he said.

While the flames were concentrated in the bedroom, the blaze sent smoke billowing through the apartment because plastic toys and other items were packed into the home, Szymanski said.

Wrought iron bars on the window did not hamper firefighting efforts and were easily removed, Szymanski said.

Thirteen units, including four fire engines, three paramedic units and about 25 firefighters were dispatched to the scene, Symanski said.

Damage is estimated at less than $10,000; no other apartments were affected, he said.

Monday's fire marked the fourth time in the past seven weeks that a child playing with a lighter or matches has started a Southern Nevada fire that has caused significant damage.

Sun reporter

Timothy Pratt contributed to this report.