A man is dead after a storage room caught fire at 2300 Dori Avenue around 6:58 a.m. Wednesday.
Friends identify the victim as Ruben Olivares.
Most of the fire was out when firefighters arrived at the scene, but the contents of the room were still smoldering. Fire crews started shifting around items within the room when they discovered the body of a male victim on the floor.
The victim was taken to the hospital with critical burns over the upper half of his body. He later died from his injuries.
The storage room was converted into a studio apartment, with a small bed, a TV, a refrigerator, and numerous other personal items. Officials say extension cords inside the room sparked the flames.
UPDATE: Here's a look at the converted studio apartment in the backyard, where the fire happened pic.twitter.com/RDXUJhuDd6
— Marissa Kynaston (@marissaktnv) September 14, 2016
Crews told 13 Action News the converted studio couldn't have been more than 100 square feet, potentially violating the city's building codes.
"A lot of times people make conversions to their homes, and they don't tell the city about it," says Tim Szymanski, with Las Vegas Fire and Rescue.
If the building did violate building codes, it could have put anybody living inside in danger. The city has been notified and is now investigating.
Alvaro Ramirez said he is the owner of the home.
Ramirez had been friends with the victim, Olivares, for over 15 years. The two men first met on the soccer field.
Ramirez said he allowed Olivares to live there in exchange for doing handy work around the yard and cleaning up around the house.
We're told Olivares was a big soccer fan originally from El Salvador.
Damages were estimated at $20,000 and were confined entirely to the small room.
