Multiple structures destroyed by fire

Pahrump Valley Fire and Rescue Services crews responded to a number of fires throughout the valley last week.

Fire Chief Scott Lewis said crews were dispatched to an unknown type of fire at approximately 11 p.m. on Friday, June 5, in the desert area near Powerline Road and Mesquite Avenue.

“Crews arrived to find a structure that appeared to have been used by the homeless, as there was personal property stored about it,” he said. “The area had poor access for the apparatus, therefore we had to send our brush trucks specifically to fight the structure fire. There were no injuries and no one was in the area at the time of the fire, however there was a burn barrel burning in the same area of the fire, so it gives the impression that someone took off.”

Another homeless camp fire

On Saturday, June 6, at approximately 12 p.m., crews were dispatched for a report of another unknown type fire in the desert area behind Smith’s Food and Drug Store.

Lewis said crews arrived to find another homeless camp on fire consisting of personal property, including more than a half-dozen shopping carts and other materials stored about the area.

“The occupant of that homeless camp reappeared at one point, where they screamed a few things and took off,” Lewis said. “The sheriff’s office caught up with him and the individual indicated that all of his personal property burned and that he was most likely the ignition source when he improperly discarded smoking materials.”

Multiple structure fire

The following day, fire crews were dispatched to an unknown type of fire at approximately 5 p.m.

“It was initially reported to be a smoke investigation with yellow colored smoke presenting,” Lewis said. “As crews were responding, they were notified that it was actually a structure fire, which then prompted a structure response. Once crews arrived on location, they found a well-developed fire involving multiple structures and vehicles on the property, including trailers and motorhomes, in a conflagration that was wind-driven with advanced fire conditions.”

Mutual aid response

Lewis also noted that the fire occurred in an area with no fire hydrants.

“Therefore the apparatus had to continually go to hydrant sources to refill their water tanks in order to suppress the fire,” he said. “The wind-driven fire threatened nearby properties on both the east and north sides of the fire grounds. Crews had to deploy additional resources to those particular areas for ember patrol, and also extinguishing hot spots and spot fires that were occurring well in advance of the actual fire. We exercised our mutual aid agreement and brought in NNSS who responded with a crew, as well as BLM for the ground cover spot fires. The fire was brought under control in approximately one-and-a-half hours.”

Numerous vehicles on property

Additionally, Lewis said for most part, the fire was held to the actual property where it originated.

“The primary double-wide manufactured dwelling, which was used as a residence, was completely surrounded by burning material and structures that were saved,” he said. “A number of the discarded vehicles at the rear of the property were also saved. The total count for the incident was five structures, three motorhomes, 20 cars, two jet skis, 10 motorbikes, several utility trailers, and numerous personal property that was stored about.”

Explosive forces at hand

Lewis also said there were instances where the fire was so hot and dynamic, that applying water to it actually created hazardous and adverse conditions.

“Some of the engine blocks that were stored about the property had white metals on them, so as the water was hitting the white metals, there were explosive forces that were occurring,” he noted. “There was also venting and at least one propane cylinder on the property failed, causing additional fire throughout the property. It was actually attributing to the rapid spread of the fire in addition to the natural conditions such as winds and dry grass. It was like a perfect storm of conditions in a no-hydrant area.”

Great job

Additionally, Lewis lauded the efforts of the crews as they battled the fires.

“They did an outstanding job, getting the resources, and having to go get additional water, which posed challenges,” he said. There were three civilians who were medically assessed and one was transported to the local hospital for smoke inhalation. All of the neighbouring properties were protected. “The fire is under investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s Office, in conjunction with Pahrump Valley Fire and Rescue Services. It is thought to be accidental in nature, and most likely it will be deemed undetermined, but all things considered, there were no injuries.”

Challenging conditions

As far as the overabundance of personal property stored about, Lewis said it’s a common problem throughout the valley.

“The ignition sources and the fuel loads far exceeded the initial capabilities, without water systems, so it makes it extremely difficult from a fire suppression standpoint,” he said. “I also want to note that on that particular day, there were Red Flag warnings, so we were monitoring those types of conditions. Red Flag conditions are equivalent to low relative humidity, high temperatures and high winds, so that creates an erratic fire behavior, which is exactly what we experienced. The fire was literally growing, where every minute it probably tripled in size. With the venting and the exploding propane tanks, it was creating small fire bombs within the property, further extending it, so we were literally watching it jump from vehicle to vehicle, because they also had gas tanks filled with gasoline. All the pets were saved with the exception of one dog which was lost, but other dogs, fowl and animals were successfully rescued and removed from the property.”

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