By: Las Vegas Now Staff
Two families are homeless tonight when Mother Nature helped a fire along. It took just minutes for the fire to spread from one house to the other, the flames fanned by strong winds.
Investigators believe the fire started here in between the two homes and intensified when air compressors set off a series of explosions. The charred debris is all two families have left after the flames were whipped by the winds of nature.
“A lot of black smoke and flames coming out of the house,” said neighbor John Cooney.
The afternoon inferno engulfed two homes on the northeast side of town, sending neighbors running for cover.
“He heard the window pop and he looked up and saw all the fire,” said Trista Ornelas, one of the homeowners.
The thick black smoke could be seen for miles and fire crews rushed to the rescue, battling the blaze from high and low.
Swift winds only fueled the fires fury.
“It blew it from this house to that house,” said Cooney.
But thanks to the fire department fast response, Maris Ladroma's home was saved and so was the neighbor's dog.
No one hurt, but two families displaced, forced to rebuild their lives from a charred catastrophe.
“Materials is not that important what's important is that everyone is safe,” said homeowner Delia Esperon.
Near the home is the remains of a sail boat. The owner says it was full of gas and that added to the raging fire.
A gas meter also ignited, but fire crews were able to keep that under control. It's now up to investigators to sift through the charred mess to find out the cause of the blaze.
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