LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A building in south Las Vegas that was meant to help the community is a total loss.
Clark County Fire Department and Las Vegas Fire and Rescue responded to a fire shortly before 7 a.m. at a two-story home on Palmyra Avenue near Jones Boulevard.
Nobody was inside at the time and there are no injuries to report.
The property owners, a married couple named Ruby and Neil, tell 13 Action News they spent $1 million of their retirement savings to purchase and fix the abandoned home.
"Two years ago I asked God, 'Do you really want me to start this project?' It's hard. But now, I don't dare to ask God, I just know it has to be done," said Ruby. She says the plan was to transform the home into a gathering place for the Christian community.
Firefighters with @ClarkCountyFD are battling a house fire in Spring Valley. The owners of the property tell me it is a total loss. The home was vacant. No injuries reported. @KTNV pic.twitter.com/i2FvlZx6UX
— Alyssa Bethencourt (@a_bethencourttv) March 14, 2022
“This place was going to be a place of ministry, solace for people in their last stage of life," she said. "I work so hard to not hate or be angry about anything throughout the whole process.”
According to CCFD, the fire started in a connex box near the two-story house, though it's not clear what caused the fire. That remains under investigation.
Despite the setback, Ruby says they plan to rebuild the home brick by brick and that the rebuilding starts today.