Debris fire guts Pahrump recycling facility

By Selwyn Harris Pahrump Valley Times

6 years ago

Selwyn Harris/Pahrump Valley Times It took Pahrump Valley Fire and Rescue crews more than an hour to get a structure and grounds fire at Pahrump Valley Recycling under control Wednesday afternoon. Pahrump Valley Fire and Rescue Chief Scott Lewis reported no injuries as firefighters were working to extinguish stubborn blaze.

Selwyn Harris/Pahrump Valley Times Large plumes of thick black smoke could be seen throughout the valley as a result of Wednesday’s recycling facility fire at 1650 East Mesquite Avenue. More than a dozen curious onlookers actually parked along the road’s shoulder to watch firefighters in action.

Selwyn Harris/Pahrump Valley Times There was no shortage of fuel, as the recycling facility routinely takes in all types of flammable materials each day. Nye County Hazmat crews were also dispatched to the scene. The exact cause of the fire is under investigation.

Special to the Pahrump Valley Times Tons of flammable materials fueled Wednesday afternoon’s massive fire at the Pahrump Valley Recycling facility, which started just before 3 p.m. Though Pahrump fire crews had the blaze under control in just over an hour, the operation took more than four hours they were able to clear the scene. No injuries were reported.

The thick, heavy plumes of black smoke seen throughout the entire valley was due to a massive fire at a local recycling facility on Wednesday afternoon.

Pahrump Valley Fire and Rescue Services Chief Scott Lewis said crews responded to the Pahrump Valley Recycling facility at 1650 East Mesquite Road just before 3 p.m.

“Crews arrived to find a well-developed rubbish fire in the center part of the complex,” Lewis said. “Crews immediately completed a 360 size up and found that there were several additional exposure structures, heavy equipment, as well as other debris piles. Fortunately, there were nearby hydrants that had a terrific flow out of them.

“Crews utilized those hydrants where they commenced a defensive exterior attack and quickly contained the fire,” Lewis said. “We were flowing approximately 2,500 gallons per minute. We had four master streams and two portable master streams in service. It was under control within about an hour and 15 minutes. There were no injuries and there was no extension of the fire to any of the other exposures at the complex.”

Regarding the exact cause of the fire, Lewis said it appeared to be accidental in nature.

“It was reported that the fire resulted from a large explosion in the area where individuals were breaking down recyclable materials into small piles,” he said. “We know the ignition source was related to the operations going on there. It may have been a possibly a leaking propane tank.”

As crews were working to extinguish the fire, Lewis also noted that numerous additional calls for service were received by 911 dispatchers.

“During that time, we also had several motor vehicle accidents that were managed as well additional medical events that occurred,” he noted. “During the height of the fire, we were managing up to seven or eight events, but all in all, everything went smoothly. We did exercise our mutual ID agreement, where we brought in some Nevada Test Site resources to handle any additional calls that came in, and they also assisted on the fire grounds.”

Residents living in the immediate area reported hearing a series of explosions just prior to the arrival of first responders.

Those explosions continued as fire crews were attempting to extinguish the fire.

Crews from the Live PD television series were also on scene documenting the incident.

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