'Explosion' on Las Vegas strip after car 'flees scene': 'It sounded like a bomb'
The fire began near a vehicle just off the strip, quickly engulfing at least two palm trees in front of the luxury hotel, according to witnesses on social media.
Footage shared online shows black smoke billowing into the sky as fire crews race to contain the blaze.
No injuries have been reported and there is no damage to nearby hotels, according to initial reports.
Witnesses described the terrifying moment flames burst into view.
'Big explosion. We just heard what sounded like a bomb. Right in front of the Aria,' one bystander said in a video shared from the scene.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police have now issued a statement confirming the cause of the fire.
'We are investigating a small fire in the 3700 block of South Las Vegas Boulevard,' the department said. 'The fire was contained to a small area and was extinguished quickly. It was learned that an occupant in a vehicle threw fireworks causing a tree to catch fire.'
Firefighters remain at the scene as the investigation continues.
In a video posted from the scene, TikToker Baby Khaled claimed he and others 'heard an explosion' and then spotted a car speeding away from the area.
Khaled shared footage of the skidding vehicle and declared: 'Let's find this car.'
Other witnesses also flooded social media with clips of the blaze erupting outside the Aria Resort and Casino.
The explosion outside the Aria Resort and Casino comes just days after a fatal shooting shook the Las Vegas Strip on Sunday night.
A man and his wife were gunned down near the iconic Bellagio fountains in what police described as an 'isolated incident' involving individuals who were known to each other.
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