Fire in Desert Shores home causes $200,000 damage, officials say

By Cristina Chang

Thursday, Aug. 16, 2012 | 10:12 a.m.

A predawn fire Thursday that shrouded the Desert Shores community in the western valley with dense smoke hindered firefighters in reaching their destination and caused an estimated $200,000 in damage to a home, fire officials said.

Las Vegas Fire & Rescue was notified at 4:27 a.m. of heavy smoke coming from an unknown location in the master-planned community near West Cheyenne Avenue and North Buffalo Drive, said spokesman Tim Szymanski. Upon arrival in the neighborhood, firefighters did not see any flames and spent about 15 minutes searching for the source of the smoke before a neighbor flagged them down and confirmed the location.

The source was the house at 2957 Harbor Cove Drive.

Firefighters forced open the front door of the house and were met with smoke and temperatures of more than 1,000 degrees, Szymanski said. They immediately doused the fire, which was spreading from the living room into the stairway.

Afraid that the residents may still be asleep, firefighters made three trips around the house searching for potential victims, but no one was in the house, Szymanski said. By the time the blaze was put out, fire had melted all the plastic, from the fake plants to window blinds, in the house, and soot covered the floor.

Firefighters used pressurized fans to blow the smoke out of the home and the air has since cleared, Szymanski said.

Neighbors told investigators that two women lived in the home and that they typically leave a couple of cars in the driveway. No cars were spotted at the residence.

Investigators this morning still were trying to locate the residents, Szymanski said.