Fire destroys four homes in new housing project

Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2004 | 9:17 a.m.

Fire investigators this morning were looking into what caused four houses under construction to blaze like kindling Monday night.

Firefighters called to the 4100 block of Macadamia Drive in the northern valley about 9:15 p.m. found the wood frames of four houses engulfed in flames.

Two other framed houses and two neighboring residences received minor damage in KB Home's Walnut Glen development near Lamb Boulevard and Craig Road.

"If you wanted to design a fire to burn fast, this is how you'd do it," said Clark County Fire Department Sgt. Lonnie Walch of the bare wood frames. "Thank heavens we didn't have any wind at all."

Walch said firefighters from the county, North Las Vegas and Las Vegas Fire & Rescue had the two-alarm fire subdued within five minutes. About 15 units and 40 firefighters cooperated against the blaze.

About $500,000 in damage was estimated, officials said.

Fire investigators returned to the scene of the fire this morning to continue the investigation and did not yet have a cause for the blaze, Bob Leinbach, a spokesman for the Clark County Fire Department, said.

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