Woman, 3 young children escape burning apartment unharmed

By Las Vegas Sun Staff (contact)

Saturday, April 30, 2011 | 11:34 a.m.

Fire officials are crediting a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper with helping a family escape a burning apartment unharmed Saturday morning.

Las Vegas Fire and Rescue spokesman Tim Szymanski said a mother and three young children awoke about 6:40 a.m. after hearing the trooper's siren as he drove through an apartment complex at 2913 Stewart Ave., near Eastern Avenue and U.S. 95. The trooper noticed the smoke while on patrol on U.S. 95, then drove through the complex to alert residents, Szymanski said.

The woman and her three children escaped without injury as the apartment was filling with smoke, officials said.

Firefighters arrived to find the kitchen on fire, but investigators said the blaze started behind cabinets in an attic area not accessible to residents. The family was asleep and hadn't been cooking, Szymanski said.

The fire burned an area around a vent going into the attic into the roof area, investigators said. The rest of the apartment had moderate smoke damage, with damage estimated at $15,000. It took firefighters about 10 minutes to extinguish the blaze, Szymanski said.

There were no smoke alarms in the apartment, officials said.

The American Red Cross and the Las Vegas Fire & Rescue Foundation are assisting the family of two adults and three children.