News briefs for June 17, 2005

Friday, June 17, 2005 | 9:57 a.m.

200 evacuated in fire at Gold Spike

About 200 people were evacuated from the Gold Spike in downtown Las Vegas this morning after a large power transformer caught fire, fire officials said.

The fire was confined to the room where the transformers are kept, Las Vegas Fire & Rescue spokesman Tim Szymanski said. No one was injured and the hotel and casino sustained little damage.

The fire started about 6:30 a.m. Nevada Power workers had to shut off the electricity before firefighters could douse the blaze, Szymanski said.

It appeared the 250,000-volt transformer was about 30 years old and probably had just worn out, he said.

Fire investigators estimated the damage at $15,000 for the transformer and $5,000 to the property. Fifty firefighters responded to help extinguish the blaze.

The hotel guests will be relocated to other properties, Szymanski said.

Drive-by shooting under investigation

Metro Police gang crime detectives this morning were investigating a drive-by shooting in which a man in a car was shot by someone in another vehicle on the Flamingo Road overpass of Interstate 15.

The shooting occurred about 4:30 a.m. The victim was shot numerous times, Sgt. Chris Jones said, and was being treated this for his injuries at University Medical Center's trauma unit.

The suspect was still at large this morning, Jones said. Witnesses reported that the shooter might have been in a black SUV.

Man, 69, dies in auto crash

A 69-year-old man died Thursday afternoon after apparently failing to stop at a red light and crashing into another car at a west valley intersection, Metro Police said.

Nonato G. Marquez was southbound on Jones Boulevard in a 1991 Toyota Tercel at about 3:30 p.m. when he collided with a 2001 Suzuki Grand Vitara that was making a left turn off the boulevard onto Edna Avenue, police said.

Marquez and the driver of the Suzuki, Rhonda Gerday, 51, were taken to University Medical Center where Marquez was pronounced dead.

Gerday suffered only moderate injuries, police said.