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UPDATE: Apartment management responds after multiple fires at complex

Apartment fire displaces 16 people
Posted at 6:02 AM, Mar 08, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-09 02:32:03-05

Nine adults and seven children were displaced after an apartment building caught fire near Maryland Parkway and Karen Avenue.

Firefighters were called to the scene around 10:42 p.m. Tuesday. Crews on the roof discovered fire burning under the air conditioner that spread into the attic.

A total of 50 firefighters worked together to put out the blaze within 30 minutes. Damage is estimated at $175,000.
 
No injuries were reported.
 
It's the second fire here in less than two weeks. On Feb. 25, tenants ran for their lives after a blaze gutted a building in the same complex.
 
A spokesman for Clark County confirmed three other fires on the same property back in 2013.
 
"It's so many fires, something's wrong," said Rosa Williams, a tenant. “I'm a little afraid."
 
Williams worries could her building be next?
 
“I don't want to be a victim," she said.
 
13 Action News asked management why so many fires have broken out at the property.
 
Ruth Garcia, the residential asset manager with Westland Apartments, said her company took over Solaire Apartments just six months ago. She said Westland cannot be held responsible for what happened before then.
 
As for the two most recent fires Garcia said, "One fire was caused by vagrants. The fire from last night was caused by an electrical problem with the HVAC units."
 
When asked what management is doing to cut down on the possibilities of fire, Garcia responded, “We're literally going to be doing inspections of every single unit and see where there may be a cause or a possibility of fire that we can prevent."
 
Garcia insisted Westland was doing everything they can to keep tenants safe going forward.
 
"We're securing our vacant units over and over again to make sure vagrants aren’t coming in. We've installed smoke detectors, we're going to be checking everybody's fireplace."
 
Garcia said they've contacted three tenants from the most recent fire. They're helping those tenants relocate on property and to an associated property.
 
As for the fire from last month, Garcia said they've relocated seven tenants, offered two months free rent and gave them $1,000 for their troubles.