Elderly woman dies in house fire near Strip

By Mary Manning

Published Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2009 | 7:03 a.m.

Updated Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2009 | 1:19 p.m.

Fire officials say an elderly woman who was killed this morning in a house fire in a residential area east of the Stratosphere appeared to have died from smoke inhalation.

Las Vegas and Clark County firefighters responded at 4:35 a.m. Tuesday to the blaze at 2201 Beverly Way, which is north of Sahara Avenue and south of St. Louis Avenue. The single-story block and brick house, built in 1956, was engulfed in smoke and flames.

A passerby called 911 on a cell phone to report flames in the area of Beverly Way. When firefighters arrived on the scene, heavy flames were at the rear of the house.

Las Vegas Fire & Rescue spokesman Tim Szymanski said a woman who appeared to be in her late 70s was found in the back bedroom of the wood frame house. She was the only person inside the home at the time of the fire and there were no pets.

The kitchen area, outside back patio and roof area had fire damage, and smoke damaged the rest of the house, Szymanski said. The house had extensive debris in it, which helped fuel the fire.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, and damages have been estimated at $25,000, Szymanski said.

Neighbors say the woman lived alone after her husband died a few years ago. According to neighbors, she was able to walk without a problem.

It did appear that smoke alarms were in the house, Szymanski said. Neighbors said they believed relatives live out of state.

Metro Police and the Clark County Coroner's Office are working to identify the woman and contact next of kin.

If ruled a fatal fire, this would be the eighth fatal fire in the city of Las Vegas this year.