An automatic fire sprinkler is credited with preventing a fire from spreading in a west Las Vegas business early Wednesday morning. No one was injured during the two-alarm fire. The fire is believed to be accidental.
Firefighters were dispatched to Expertise Cosmetology Institute, located at 1911 Stella Lake St., near Lake Mead and Martin Luther King Boulevards, after an automatic sprinkler activated and set off an alarm that notified fire dispatchers at 3:35 a.m. When firefighters arrived on scene, flames and smoke could be seen coming from the roof of the large one-story concrete block building. Firefighters accessed the roof using an aerial ladder and found fire around a large air conditioning unit. Firefighters at the same time entered the building and found it full of light smoke. In the break room, an automatic fire sprinkler prevented the fire from spreading from the building’s attic area. A second alarm was dispatched to the scene bringing additional equipment and personnel. Firefighters had the fire out in a few minutes.
Fire investigators believe the fire started in the attic area below the air conditioning unit, which caught the roof on fire. As the fire burned through the ceiling, the automatic fire sprinkler prevented the fire from entering the business area of the building. Damage is estimated at $25,000.
There were no injuries during the incident.