Arson blamed in industrial-area blaze

Eric Leake

Monday, April 18, 2005 | 10:59 a.m.

A massive fire burned three businesses and several nearby cars Sunday afternoon, sending up a thick column of black smoke visible throughout the valley.

County fire investigators said arson is to blame for the three-alarm blaze at 3131 S. Highland Drive in the industrial corridor west of the Strip.

Nobody was injured in the fire. Total damages to at least three businesses were estimated at $250,000. No arrests have been made; firefighters were still investigating this morning.

Shon Fainaru owns the building northeast of Interstate 15 and Desert Inn Road that houses six business suites. He thanked firefighters that damages were not worse.

"They came extremely quickly and saved my building," Fainaru said.

He said he had heard that somebody was seen throwing something to ignite the fire behind the building, where investigators determined the fire started.

But Fainaru said he did not know why somebody would have started the fire. "I have no enemies," he said.

The fire left blackened shells of about a half dozen of the Hyundais and Nissans in the Proway auto body repair shop back lot.

A Proway manager said he could not comment but said some of the destroyed cars were already totaled while at least one was almost brand new.

A delivery truck and piles of furnishings behind the adjacent hotel furnishings liquidation business and Unique Countertops were reduced to charred heaps. The name of the liquidation company was not immediately available.

Clark County Fire Capt. Leo Durkin said firefighters were able to protect the interior of the building by fighting the fire from the back bay doors.

He said a natural gas line added fuel to the fire while other materials were undetermined.

"There were some vehicles, trailers, stored materials," Durkin said. "It's difficult to tell what kind of material was involved because most of it was destroyed."

Clark County Fire Department spokesman Bob Leinbach said the thick black smoke was an indicator of hydrocarbons, such as from burned plastics or oil, which present particular hazards.

"Hydrocarbon can be very deadly," Leinbach said of toxic fumes.

"In this situation you've got an outside fire. You've got vehicles, gasoline, oil, grease, tires that can explode."

Leinbach said a total of 23 units and 55 people from the county department and Las Vegas Fire & Rescue responded to the fire shortly after 1 p.m. and had it under control in about a half hour.

Chris Calkins was working across the street at Suburban Graphics when the fire broke out.

"It was this huge thing of flames, black smoke," he said. "I heard a couple of explosions."

Calkins showed pictures he took with his cell phone of fire engines arriving while the fire still sent up a thick column of smoke.

The fire interrupted power and gas service to area businesses for a couple hours.

Sophie Penberthy, project manager at neighboring Sandy Valley Farm, said more troublesome is the loss of phone and Internet service because of a burned utility pole.

Sandy Valley Farm supplies produce for hotels and will be unable to enter supply bids until service is restored, she said. Power was expected to be restored Sunday evening.

Penberthy also said that she has complained to authorities numerous times about truckloads of furniture and vehicles left in the alley behind the businesses.

"Our fear was that due to somebody else's negligence a fire could start," she said. "It's a fire hazard."