Dancer catches on fire during Pahrump luau performance
A fire dancer was burned Saturday evening when part of his costume caught fire while performing at a luau outside the Lakeside casino in Pahrump.
Initially, the dancer did not realize his costume was on fire as the blaze spread on his left leg, said photographer Horace Langford Jr., who was at the scene on an assignment to cover the luau for the Pahrump Valley Times.
Fellow members of the dance troupe used a tarp to smother the fire, Langford said in his eyewitness account Sunday.
The dancer eventually was taken away by ambulance with Pahrump Fire and Rescue arriving at the scene. His name and condition were not immediately known Sunday.
The fire dancer had been using a pole, estimated at 5-to-6 feet long, when the pole’s flames caught grass-type clothing and the dancer’s left leg ablaze prior to 8 p.m. Saturday, Langford said.
The pole had been dipped in some type of flammable material prior to the performance, Langford said.
No one in the nearby crowd was injured, Langford said.
The outdoor show eventually resumed with another dancer, Langford said.
The Pahrump Valley Times contacted the Lakeside casino on Sunday and was told to call Monday for more information.
A pre-show announcement on the casino’s website referred to the event as the “Lakeside Luau” — a free, all ages show featuring Las Vegas Hula. “Enjoy the dances of Hawaii, Tahiti, Fiji, Samoa and so much more,” it stated.
This is a developing story. Check the Pahrump Valley Times for updates as more information becomes available.
