Fire crews fight fire, high winds

Extreme weather conditions challenged firefighters responding to emergency service calls throughout the valley this past weekend.

One man was transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries after crews responded to a structure fire at 3260 W. Charleston Park just before 7 p.m. on Saturday.

Fire Chief Scott Lewis said upon arrival, fire crews found a fully-involved fifth-wheel trailer which had been used as a fixed structure on the property.

"There were no immediate exposures because there were no additional structures on this property," he said. "The crews fought heavy fire conditions right from the beginning as well as significant winds that were coming out of the north."

Lewis said once crews mounted a defensive attack on the fire, they were able to contain and control the blaze in short order.

Once the fire was extinguished, Lewis said the initial investigation showed the cause was most likely accidental, as there were several space heaters inside the structure that fire crews were able to identify.

"There was found to be one person that had been in the trailer who was injured," he said. "It was a 71-year-old male who was transported to a local hospital. The fire is still being investigated. We're looking at possibly an accidental ignition by the occupant. We couldn't necessarily rule out an electrical issue at this point, due to the extent of the damage. It is still under investigation and thought to be accidental in nature."

Roughly 12 hours later, fire crews were summoned to a residence on Bunch Street where high wind gusts were determined to be the culprit, just after 7 p.m.

"The crews were dispatched to 1111 South Bunch Street for a structure that had a tree fall upon it," he said. "The tree had fallen during a wind event and they were worried about it possibly collapsing the structure. No utilities were involved and there was no interior damage. The following day, they removed the tree, so it was thought to be a stable environment."

Later on Sunday, crews responded to a business at 1481 East Highway 372 following reports of a car versus a structure.

"Upon their arrival they found a vehicle had in fact, impacted the building on the south side," Lewis said. "The building was struck by the vehicle and there was some superficial exterior damage. It was checked by not only the fire department but by building and safety and it was deemed to be OK for occupancy. There was really no serious structural damage and the Nye County Sheriff's Office appeared to be the investigative authority on that accident."

Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com.