Runaway water tanks cause havoc in Pahrump neighborhood
A pair of large water tanks were spotted rolling around a residential neighborhood in Pahrump on Friday and reportedly caused havoc for some homeowners. Rainstorms did hit Pahrump on the day of the incident, though no major weather events were notated by the National Weather Service.
Two 10,000-gallon water tanks were seen rolling near the intersection of W. Charleston Park Avenue and S. Barney Street on Friday afternoon. Witnesses said the tanks came in contact with two residential properties in the area, causing damage.
The two tanks belonged to the Family Dollar at 2891 W. Charleston Park Ave., which sits on the northeast corner of S. Barney Street. Attempts to reach Family Dollar’s corporate communications team have been unsuccessful.
A spokesman for Nye County said in an email that the tanks were at the Family Dollar site for fire suppression and should have been full of water.
“If they had the 10,000 gallons of water within them, they should not roll away,” said Arnold Knightly, spokesman for Nye County. “The fact they were empty is a safety issue that concerns the county and something that is being investigated.”
Area resident Carolyn Holland said the tanks affected two homes in the neighborhood. A house just adjacent to the Family Dollar location had its fence and front awning damaged by one of the loose water tanks, according to Holland.
The National Weather Service in Las Vegas said 0.11 inches of rain fell on Friday. No watches or warnings were issued in the area on that day, said Reid Wolcott, meteorologist at the National Weather Services’ Las Vegas office.
Wind gusts hit as high as 19 mph in the area in the afternoon of July 13 with temperatures ranging from 94 to 101 degrees, depending on where you were in Pahrump, according to the National Weather Service’s Las Vegas office.
According to Holland, rain and heavy winds were occurring in the area at the time when the water tanks were rolling around and blew into a residential area.
Last week brought a few storms in the Pahrump Valley. Pahrump Valley Times readers submitted photos of other other weather events over the weekend and from last week that brought lightning and rain.
No watches or warnings have been put out for Wednesday or the remainder of the week for the Pahrump area, according to the weather service.
Wolcott said there is a 20 percent chance of rain on Wednesday and Thursday and a 15 percent chance of rain on Friday. He did warn that weather can change rapidly during monsoon season in Southern Nevada, which typically lasts through mid-September but can last longer, he said.
Pahrump Valley Fire and Rescue and the Nye County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the scene of the water tank incident.
No injuries have been reported due to the issue.
Contact reporter Jeffrey Meehan at jmeehan@pvtimes.com
