VIDEO/PHOTOS: On the afternoon of July 5, firefighters were called to Ponce de Leon Avenue for a house fire. The Clark County Fire Department reports dispatching the hazmat team due to a lithium-ion battery in the garage. The owner of the home, 101-year-old Violet Allen, lives with her grandson. Her family believes the e-bike batteries exploded in the garage and started the fire. She remembers her grandson, Jason, running inside to rescue her.
“All of a sudden, Jason came ‘grandma get out’ and he lifted me,” Allen said. “We didnโt get hurt.” For the past 36 years, Allen has lived in the same home on Ponce de Leon Avenue. “I was the first in the neighborhood, and I love it,” she said. Her neighbors have shown their love for her, stepping up to help during and after the fire. “I needed somewhere to stay for a while because I didnโt want to go to the hospital, and so they welcomed us,” Allen said. This isn’t the first hardship Allen has faced in her 101 years.
“Weโve got through a lot. We got through World War Two when a bomb dropped next door to us, but then it turned out it was a dud, thank God, or else I wouldnโt be here,” she said. From World War II to earthquakes in California, hurricanes in Jamaica, the COVID-19 pandemic, and now a house fire, Allen has persevered through it all. Her advice to younger generations is simple: “They’re not going to like this, but no smoking and no drinking.” Despite everything she’s been through, Allen remains thankful to be alive and maintains a positive outlook on life.
