Crews met ‘challenging conditions’ in fire that damaged home

A stubborn structure fire, along with challenging conditions, severely damaged a home and destroyed property along Steptoe Street on Sunday afternoon, June 2.

Pahrump Valley Fire and Rescue Services Chief Scott Lewis told the Pahrump Valley Times that crews were initially dispatched to the area for a possible brush fire running along a fence line at approximately 4:20 p.m.

Home encircled by flames

“Crews arrived to find heavy fire conditions on division “C”, which is the rear of the house, Lewis said. “It was initially a single-wide manufactured dwelling with several additions and there was heavy fire conditions showing with extension and exposures on each side of the house, along with the rear, onto the next property.”

Nearby water sources utilized

Lewis also noted that once crews connected to fire hydrants, they commenced with what’s known as a “defensive exterior objective.”

Additionally, Lewis noted that the property was found to have an overabundance of personal property stored on both the outside and the interior of the house, which was heavily fortified.

Veritable fortress

“Crews had a difficult time accessing the property and once they did, they were met with an overabundance of personal property stored on the fire grounds so crews were unable to gain full access onto it, as well as the home.”

As a result, Lewis said crews were forced to deploy large master streams and hand lines to protect the exposures and eventually placed the fire under control, which took approximately two hours.

A very long day and night

“Crews continued to monitor and mop up due to the heavy heavy fire load throughout the night,” he said. “They managed to clear the scene at approximately 6 a.m., the next morning. There were no life safety issues and nobody was home at the time of the fire. The exact cause of the fire is under investigation.”

Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com, or on X: @pvtimes