A structure fire on the 4400 block of East Paiute Boulevard prompted the response of Pahrump Valley Fire and Rescue Services crews.
Fire Chief Scott Lewis said crews were dispatched to just after 1:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 4.
“Crews arrived to find fire showing from Division “A” which was the front of the residence of a one-story doublewide manufactured dwelling,” he said. “Engine three commenced a defensive exterior attack due to heavy fire conditions. The home was found to be evacuated with all residents uninjured and accounted for. The defensive exterior attack held the fire to the area of origin and crews were able to control the fire within approximately 30 minutes after arrival. The deputy state fire marshal responded and conducted the investigation.”
Lewis also said crews, on the same day, responded to the area of Comstock Park for a vehicle fire, where upon arrival they found a mostly extinguished engine compartment fire.
No injuries were reported.
Mercy Air response
On Sunday, Oct. 10, fire crews responded to a motor vehicle crash involving a motorcycle in the area of Gamebird Road and Whirlwind Avenue just before 5 p.m.
“The injuries sustained in the accident were consistent with flight criteria, therefore the patient was transported to Mercy Air Base 21 and subsequently flown to UMC Trauma. The Nye County Sheriff’s Office is investigating that incident.”
On Oct.12, at approximately 5 a.m. crews were dispatched to the 1500 block of West Chukar Street for a reported structure fire at a home undergoing renovations.
“The initial report was a working fire in a bathroom,” Lewis said. “The occupants had self-evacuated and were uninjured. Crews ensured that the fire was completely extinguished and the investigation revealed the cause of the fire was most likely caused by an unattended heating element that was used to heat water and was thought to be accidental in nature.”
Man attacked by bees
Fire crews also recently responded to an incident where a man working in his yard was attacked by a swarm of bees, which numbered in the thousands, according to Lewis.
“Crews arrived to find the incident as described where the victim had retreated to the cab of a commercial vehicle,” Lewis said. EMS and fire crews donned full protective clothing and made their way to the injured person despite them being covered in bees themselves. They removed that patient, who was assessed and medically evaluated but opted not to go to the hospital.”
Additionally, Lewis said crews were able to contain the remainder of the bees by way of a plastic enclosure to give the agitated honey bees the opportunity to settle down.
“During the daytime heat, those types of bees become most active, thus diesel engines will sometimes agitate them and that’s why it’s better to let them settle down,” he noted. “Usually, in cooler temperatures of the evening hours, they settle and that’s when they become best manageable, versus the daytime.”
Recommendations
Chief Lewis also provided some advice on what to do if an individual is attacked by a large swarm of bees.
“You’d want to immediately seek a safe area and call 911 immediately but they need to have the expectation that the fire department is not there to remedy the bee problem,” he advised. “The fire department is there to affect the rescue and provide medical care as required. In this particular case, we utilized a handline and full protective clothing to ensure the safety of our firefighters, but even still, our firefighters were covered in bees and literally had to leave the area before the bees tried to attack them as well.”
Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @pvtimes