Kitchen fire blamed for column of black smoke

By Mary Manning

Saturday, Oct. 25, 2008 | 5:18 p.m.

A column of black smoke that was visible across the Las Vegas Valley on Saturday afternoon was from a townhouse kitchen fire that left four adults and a child homeless, and also killed a small dog.

No one was inside the residence near Arville Street and Oakey Boulevard when a column of dense black smoke in the valley prompted numerous calls, said Tim Szymanski, spokesman for the Las Vegas Fire Department.

When firefighters arrived at about 2:23 p.m. Saturday at 4517 Del Monte Ave., they discovered a fire in the kitchen that destroyed the stove, Szymanski said.

No one was injured but a small dog died in the fire, Szymanski said.

The residents returned and said they had been gone for about an hour and weren't cooking before they left the townhouse, Szymanski said.

Damage is estimated at $75,000 to the one-story townhouse. The kitchen was gutted and there was minor damage to the attic and roof, and smoke damage throughout the house, Szymanski said.

The American Red Cross is assisting the residents.