Multiple 9-1-1 calls were received by LVFR fire dispatchers that a fire was blowing out the windows of an upstairs master bathroom in a house that has been vacated in the past few months.
A homeless woman was seen entering the house the past few weeks according to neighbors. Friday night several neighbors confronted the homeless woman as she tried entering the vacant house, they told her they were calling police. Police could not find her.
Early this morning the house caught fire. While battling the blaze, a LVFR rescue unit was called to a nearby home for a medical emergency. A woman was treated for a medical reason, her hands and face covered with black smoke.
When paramedics asked the woman what happened, she told them she was sleeping in a nearby dumpster and became ill and asked people to call for an ambulance. She was questioned by Metro Police and LVFR fire investigators as a person of interest related to the fire. She was detained by Metro police on unrelated charges.
Fire investigators determined the fire started in the closet of an upstairs bedroom. They believe a homeless person has been staying there.
Smoking material was found in the area of where the fire occurred. The fire is under investigation.
