Early morning kitchen fire sends 4 to hospital

By Mary Manning

Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009 | 8:28 a.m.

A kitchen fire that broke out about 4:06 a.m. today in the eastern Las Vegas Valley sent four people to the hospital.

Firefighters arrived at a two-story apartment complex at 4245 Stewart Ave. near Lamb Boulevard, where three adults and three children lived, said Tim Szymanski, spokesman for the Las Vegas Fire Department.

The fire appeared to start in an oven, spreading to the rest of the kitchen and gutting both the kitchen and living room, Szymanski said. The rest of the apartment had smoke damage. One apartment next door had some water seep into it, he said.

One man told firefighters that a light on the stove sometimes stayed on after the stove had been shut off, Szymanski said.

An adult and three children were taken to University Medical Center for treatment of smoke inhalation. All of the people inside the apartment had to leave through the front door by passing through the kitchen while it was in flames, Szymanski said.

Damage is estimated at $50,000 and the Nevada chapter of the American Red Cross is assisting the six occupants of the apartment, Szymanski said.

There were no smoke alarms or sprinklers in the apartment, which was built in 1979.