The Paradise Spa apartment complex in Las Vegas, Nevada, once visited by celebrities such as Elvis Presley and the Rat Pack, is now the victim of a homeless meth pipe fire.
Paradise Spa Homeowners Association President Dennis Snapp told KVVU-TV A homeless man said his girlfriend started a fire at the complex during a fight over a meth pipe.
The man said the woman used a flashlight to start the fire and called him a “motherf—er” because she didn't want him to give her a meth pipe.
Snapp ruefully described the facility's glorious past and the horrific history that led to its current state.
“Don't make me cry. It's tragic. It's absolutely tragic,” Snapp told the station.
He said the complex was sold to a developer in 2006, but renovation plans fell apart in the 2008 market crash and funding for repairs has since dried up. Snapp said there have been a number of building fires that he suspects are caused by vandalism by homeless people.
KVVU was able to locate a homeless man who told Snap that a dispute over a meth pipe caused the fire.
An unidentified man said, “The source of the fire was an adjustment pipe.''
“Tweak pipe? Mess pipe?” the reporter asked.
“Yes, it's a meth pipe. They didn't give it back to the person who wanted it back, so they burned it,” he added.
“How did the pipe catch fire?'' the reporter asked.
“Basically, I kept it from someone and I wasn't going to give it back. So she, uh, she set it on fire,” he kindly said. I explained.
“Did she set the building on fire because you didn't give her pipe back?” the reporter asked.
“Yes,” he answered.
The man said the woman used a flashlight to start the fire and called him “mom” because she didn't want him to give her a meth pipe.
“And 20 seconds later, the whole building was on fire!” he added.
He said the man gave a statement about the incident to police and was later released.
KVVU said it was unable to locate the accused woman, but her family claims she was not nearby when the fire broke out.
Snapp told KVVU there were no deaths in the suspected meth pipe fire, but at least two people were killed in a separate fire at the complex. He said efforts were underway to relocate 110 low-income families from the complex after it was sold to another developer.
Video interview with a homeless man You can watch it on KVVU's YouTube channel.
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