Firefighters suffer injuries fighting blaze

At least two crew members from Pahrump Valley Fire and Rescue Services suffered minor injuries while battling a structure fire on the south end of town on Tuesday.

Chief Scott Lewis said juveniles setting off fireworks may have caused the blaze that destroyed both property and vehicles in the area of Kings Way and Squaw Valley.

“It was initially reported as a brush fire possible due to juveniles playing with fireworks and we are investigating that aspect at this time. It quickly moved from a brush fire as it took out several structures including a primary dwelling, accessory buildings and numerous vehicles, including an RV. It was approximately two to three acres with an additional two to three acre exposure,” he said.

Lewis also said firefighters endured incredibly harsh conditions as they arrived on scene just after noontime yesterday when temperatures reached more than 105 degrees.

“The crews did a really good job considering the conditions. We had shifting winds, high temperatures and low relative humidity. The access was somewhat of an issue in the early stages due to the fire conditions. The flame lengths were about 30 to 50 feet in some areas. It was a rapidly advancing fire and we had some traffic issues with people crowding the area to observe the fire,” he said.

The chief noted that additional agencies also responded to the scene as part of the town’s mutual aid agreement.

“It was a great response from our stations and the crews did a really great job flanking and controlling the fire, which protected nearby exposures. The two injured firefighters have been assessed by our Medic One crew. All of the additional calls for resources and assignments are being handled by the fire department, so there’s no service disruption,” he said.

The State Fire Marshal’s office and Nye County Sheriff’s detectives also responded to the scene as part of the investigation as dozens of residents in the area looked on.