Massive fire destroys building in Las Vegas

A massive fire engulfed and completely destroyed an under-construction building in Las Vegas, with the plumes of smoke visible from miles away, authorities said. The fire was reported on Tuesday evening at 8030 W. Maule Ave. near South Buffalo Drive and the 215 Beltway in US city’s southwest valley, the Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper reported. In a statement, Clark County Fire Department Kelly Blackmon said that fire crews began responding after calls started coming in at about 4.30 p.m. on Tuesday. The Department initially responded to the fire with 75 personnel and 11 fire engines. The building remained unstable as of around 6.30 p.m. Tuesday evening and was considered a total loss, the newspaper quoted Clark County Assistant Fire Chief Brian O’Neal as saying. Fire investigators were investigating the cause of the blaze as of Tuesday night. None of the surrounding buildings were exposed to the point of evacuation, and surrounding buildings were protected from lasting damage from the fire, he said. O’Neal added that fire crews would remain on scene for several more hours, and to expect traffic delays for five to six hours in the area. A tweet from the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada said the three right lanes of the southbound 215 had been blocked because of heavy smoke from the fire.