Another fire hits Sky-Vue

Sito Negron and Mary Manning

Thursday, Aug. 26, 2004 | 9:42 a.m.

Hours after the owners of the Sky-Vue Mobile Home Park agreed to demolish the dilapidated park, a fourth fire in less than a month at the site sent flames shooting over nearby treetops Wednesday night, destroying six more trailers.

The two-alarm blaze that broke out about 10 p.m. brought 50 firefighters and 20 units to battle the flames and smoke that whipped through the park, Las Vegas Fire Department spokesman Tim Szymanski said.

Firefighters took 20 minutes to extinguish the flames. Residents of the nearby Salvation Army homeless shelter voluntarily evacuated.

"It was a little windy, so there was a concern," Szymanski said.

City officials declared the park an imminent hazard Tuesday and had begun seeking bids to clear the property, at 15 W. Owens Ave., just north of downtown. On Wednesday David and Sandi DiMarco, the park owners, agreed to tear down the trailers and clean up the property.

Under the agreement the DiMarcos have until 5 p.m. Monday to produce a signed contract and secure the demolition permits. They have until Sept. 2 to begin demolition.

They still face fines and fees from Las Vegas and the Clark County Health District that total $134,000.

However, the agreement would settle the pressing problem of cleaning up the park, measured at almost 5 acres on the county assessor Web site. The size of the parcel added to the immense task of clearing out about 100 mostly torn, ripped and burned homes.

"If they don't, we'll go ahead and begin the process ourselves," city spokesman David Riggleman said. "The question now is it going to be somebody they hire or somebody we hire?"

He said he did not know how much the work would cost.

Councilman Lawrence Weekly, whose Ward 5 contains the Sky-Vue, said Wednesday, "I'm very happy to see that (agreement), and I hope that will prevent any public safety hazard. It's good news, and I'm glad we were able to reach an agreement for the betterment of everybody."

David DiMarco said he authorized his lawyer to approve the agreement because "it (demolition) needed to be done one way or the other. It is not in good condition any more and the property would be better off cleared. We're just trying to cooperate as best we can."

Riggleman said he wasn't sure how the latest fire might affect the city's position.

"We'll evaluate the situation at the park," he said this morning. "We may need to look at how the security is set up, or the way the fence is set up."

Szymanski said the remaining mobile homes in the 100-space trailer park had been stripped of their aluminum siding and wooden frames plus debris left behind when residents moved out created a perfect mix for fires.

A total of 156 people evacuated the Salvation Army shelter and a nearby apartment house, but it was voluntary, Szymanski said.

Tim Carson, leaning on his cane as he watched the firefighters mop up after the fire had been put out, said he did not have much time to leave the shelter.

"Our alarms went off inside as there was enough smoke to set them off in the front day room," Carson said.

"I just grabbed my shoes and ran," Carson said. "The flames were over the tree tops."

Charlotte Anderson, who has been at the shelter for three days, carried her belongings in a plastic grocery bag as she fled down Owens.

"There were live embers falling on us," Anderson said. "We all decided to get out of there."

Kim McCarrick, another Salvation Army resident, said he heard two loud explosions before he saw the fire.

"I'd say the flames were 50 or 60 feet high," McCarrick said. "Embers were coming down on the people."

The city this week contracted to put a new fence around the property and hire security after three fires broke out on the property. The plan added those costs to the $85,000 bill already presented to the DiMarcos after the closure of the park several months ago.

DiMarco declined to comment on the bill the city claims he owes, and the $10,000 fine levied by the city for operating Sky-Vue without a business license.

Those bills led the city to place a lien on Sky-Vue. That action is being contested by a set of lien-holders who claim the city did not have the right to take a first position in line for payback from the DiMarcos.

In addition to the city fees, which total about $95,000, the DiMarcos face $39,000 in fines from the health district for three instances of leaking sewage.

Two of the violations, with fines totaling $30,000, stem from a different mobile home park, called College Inn, at 4615 E. Lake Mead Blvd.

"We have not received any of those monies," Health District spokeswoman Jennifer Sizemore said. "We are looking for ways to pursue it."

She said an item on today's Health District board meeting agenda includes discussion about hiring a collection agency. The district does not have the power to place a lien on properties involved in fines.

"This is a newer process for us, so some things are still being worked out," Sizemore said.