Red Cross of Southern Nevada sees busiest month in more than 10 years

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – The American Red Cross of Southern Nevada has cited July as its busiest month in more than a decade; it comes after three people lost their lives in fires in the past week.

“It’s horrific,” Melanie Hanson said as her apartment complex went up in flames. “It gives me chills.”

It’s something people across Southern Nevada have reported seeing a lot of lately, flames and smoke filling the skies, destroying homes and leaving many with nothing.

“Now everything is lost,” Alicia Garcia said of her apartment catching on fire. “Everything.”

The American Red Cross of Southern Nevada reported responding to 47 home fires in July which included massive blazes at four different apartment complexes.

One person also died in an apartment fire near Tropicana Avenue and Jones Boulevard on Wednesday. According to the Clark County Fire Department, that fire was contained to one unit, and no one else in the complex was impacted.

One of the fires left two men dead near Spencer Street and Flamingo Road.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” American Red Cross Community Disaster Program Manager Lowell Smith said.

Smith told 8 News Now the organization has helped 241 people find shelter after fires in the past four weeks.

He said many fires occur in older homes, apartments, and low-income areas. He also cited extreme heat and dry conditions as factors.

However, more than anything Smith called it crucial to understand the severity of these situations.

“It devastates them and they lose everything,” Smith said of people affected. “And all of a sudden their world is just thrown into chaos.”

Many have called that chaos overwhelming as they are forced to move past the trauma of destruction and start over.

“You see things like this and think it’s not going to happen,” Garcia said. “And it does happen.”

Smith said The Red Cross of Southern Nevada desperately needs disaster relief volunteers. If you’d like to help click HERE.

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