Firefighters rescued a 5-year-old and two 3-year-olds passed out in an apartment fire in the downtown Las Vegas area.
Fire crews received multiple calls at 8:16 p.m. Wednesday of smoke emerging from a mattress fire inside the Hidden Village Apartments complex at 1825 Lewis Avenue, near Fremont and Bruce streets, said Timothy Szymanski, spokesman for Las Vegas Fire and Rescue.
When firefighters arrived they found the apartment filled with thick black smoke and neighbors calling out the names of the children, Szymanski said.
One neighbor sustained a serious cut after smashing an outside window to try to get close enough to extinguish, Szymanski said.
When firefighters arrived they pulled the three children from the smoked-filled apartment and transported them to University Medical Center in critical condition and are being treated for smoke inhalation, Szymanski said.
No adults were found inside the apartment and fire crews are working on locating the parents of the children, Szymanski said.
Fire investigators ruled the fire accidental caused by children playing with matches or a lighter that were both found at the scene, Szymanski said. Damage is estimated to be less than $5,000, Szymanski said.
Copyright 2012 - Las Vegas Sun
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
