Thunderstorms cause LV fire

Monday, July 19, 2004 | 9:37 a.m.

Lightning from a fast moving monsoon thunderstorm sparked fires in a house, among trees and on a utility pole in the northwest Las Vegas Valley on Saturday.

Firefighters arrived at a home in the 2100 block of Castle Bay Drive, near Jones Boulevard and Washington Avenue, about 5 p.m. and found a small fire in the wall and attic of the garage of the two-story wood frame and stucco house, Las Vegas Fire Department spokesman Tim Szymanski said.

No one was home.

Damage, estimated at less than $10,000, was confined to the roof and wall in the garage. No firefighters were injured.

Neighbors told firefighters that just before seeing smoke, they heard a loud crash of thunder, Szymanski said. Fire investigators believe the house was hit by lightning.

The thunderstorm swept into the valley from the southwest about 4 p.m. on Saturday.

By the time the thunderhead reached U.S. 95 and Jones Boulevard about 4:30 p.m., residents had reported several trees and at least one utility pole had been struck by lightning, Szymanski said.

Traffic lights were knocked out of service on Jones Boulevard at Washington and at Vegas Drive as electrical wires were reported down.

The storm also produced heavy rain in the northwest valley for a brief time, causing brief pools to form in the street.

Firefighters also responded to numerous automatic fire alarms activated because of the storm. No other fires were reported.

The monsoon moisture that has moved across the valley for the past week moved north and east on Sunday.

The National Weather Service is not predicting any further storms through midweek.