Garage fire destroys 11 classic cars

Close to a dozen classic cars in various states of restoration were consumed by fire at a residence along the 3000 block of North Joanita Street last week.

Pahrump Valley Fire and Rescue Services Chief Scott Lewis told the Pahrump Valley Times that crews were dispatched to the scene, where upon arrival, they found a well-involved large steel building with fire showing from the roof along with collapsing walls. At least one person was checked out by medics but declined medical transport to Desert View Hospital.

Dousing intense flames

“Crews quickly commenced a defensive exterior attack while sections of the roof were collapsing,” he said. “Crews utilized large water streams and quickly controlled the fire with no further extension.”

Undergoing restorations

Lewis also noted that there were approximately 11 classic-era vehicles stored within the garage, in varying states of repair.

“They were not all in pristine condition because they were undergoing different body work and mechanical repairs,” Lewis said. “They were all are considered vintage-era vehicles.”

There were no significant injuries and the cause of the fire is under investigation at this time, he said.

Phantom emergency phone call

On Thursday this week, fire crews were notified of an iPhone motor vehicle crash app alert along Vicki Ann Road.

The phone owner subsequently called Nye County dispatch to notify them that his phone fell off his car and hit the ground.

The iPhone Crash Detection system is designed to detect severe car crashes such as front-impact, side-impact, and rear-end collisions, including rollovers involving sedans, minivans, SUVs, pickup trucks, and other passenger vehicles.

For those who are unable to respond, the device will automatically call emergency services after a 20-second delay.

Lewis noted that a similar incident occurred last week when crews responded to a location along Vicki Ann Road.

“Both of those events appear to be related to a cell phone app that senses an accident and reports it to dispatch,” he said. “We’ve had a rash of those calls that have ended up either being a phone found on the side of the roadway, or something that jostled it, but we have yet to find an actual motor vehicle accident from it.”

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