Pahrump Valley Fire and Rescue Services Chief Scott Lewis said no injuries were reported after fire crews were dispatched to a structure fire at approximately 9 p.m., on Wednesday, Nov. 14.
The fire, according to Lewis, occurred in the desert area east of north Highway 160 near Basin Avenue.
“Crews responded and found a motorhome used as a fixed structure in an area that is mostly occupied by homeless individuals,” he said. “The structure was well-involved in an area without hydrants. There were similar structure exposures that were also in the area, but no injuries and no occupants were located, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.”
Controlled burn gets out of hand
It was the second fire crews battled on Wednesday, after they were dispatched to a report of a structure fire in the area of West Gold Dust Lane.
Upon arrival, Lewis said crews found two accessory out-buildings on fire.
“They quickly extinguished both structures, and there was no extension to nearby exposures,” he said. “The initial investigation revealed an unauthorized controlled burn that was burning beyond the intent.”
The proper way to burn
As an example, regarding the burn, Lewis noted that the burn itself was conducted improperly by using a torch to ignite the brush.
“It got away from them and set the structures on fire. There were no injuries reported.”
Lewis also provided a few safety tips to residents in regard to properly conducting an authorized controlled burn.
“We advise local residents to burn in small, manageable piles, so when the pile burns down, they can simply add in small increments to their yard waste,” he said. “There should be no burning of household trash, no ignitable, flammable liquids or anything along those lines. It’s simply about migrating some of the weeds that were scraped in a pile and moving them to the burn pile.”
Dos and Don’ts
Additionally, Lewis imparted what residents should not do prior to conducting a controlled burn.
“The use of torches and the like, is the problem we have every year because they have a tendency to get beyond the control of the person using the torch,” he noted. “The fire can extend to other materials that were unintended to burn, such as additional structures, vehicles, and debris onto a neighboring property, so that’s why we prohibit it, but they still do. We also want to remind residents to make sure they call 911 immediately so we don’t have a response delay.”
Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @pvtimes