Fire department still investigating cause of $90M Las Vegas apartment complex fire
Under-construction apartments in southwest Las Vegas are expected to smoke and smolder for several days after fire.
By Michael Bell
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LAS VEGAS (KVVU) — The investigation into what started the fire at an apartment complex in southwest Las Vegas Valley on Tuesday continues Thursday as local firefighters say the fire is still going in piles of burning debris.
Dozens of Clark County Fire Department units responded to the complex at around 4:29 a.m. and it became a two-alarm fire, with at least 20 units responding to the area of the 8000 block of W. Maule Ave.
On Thursday, Assistant Chief of Rural Services Brian O’Neal wrote in a statement efforts are still ongoing to keep the area safe.
“One truck is in place to provide ongoing protection to the clubhouse that was undamaged. The fires are deep-seated in the piles of burning debris and occasionally flare-up. That engine is tasked with keeping any growing fire small and not allow a fire to grow to a size that would create a threat to the clubhouse. Until the large piles of debris can be dispersed and extinguished, they will continue to smolder and produce smoke. If high winds create favorable conditions for a larger fire, the truck on scene will call in additional personnel and equipment,” he stated.
Crews are rotating in four-hour schedules to maintain 24-hour coverage at the site. Three fire engines are providing assistance to the investigation including moving material and cooling areas.
“Structural engineers were brought in to evaluate the structural stability of the concrete under the buildings. This was done both on the ground and with drones,” he stated. An investigative task force has arrived with members of the Clark County Fire Investigations, Las Vegas Fire and Rescue Investigations, Henderson Fire Investigations, Nevada State Fire Marshal Investigators, and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms National Response Team.
The development, a $90 million project, was about 75% complete at the time of the fire, O’Neal added.
On Thursday afternoon, a spokesperson for Clark County Rural Services announced that a Clark County Fire Department Ignitable Liquid Detection Canine is working the suspected origin site. The specialized canine and handler team are able to detect close to 60 different ignitable liquids, according to a media release.
“The team has a very good idea where the origin of the fire was due to the overwhelming volume of video captured throughout the incident,” the statement noted. The use of the canine team is part of the routine investigative process for building fires and does not imply any suspected causation in this incident.
An extended-reach excavator has also now arrived on the scene. There is no estimate yet on how long the operations on the site will continue.
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