Several injured in hot air balloon crash west of Pahrump
One person suffered a severe head injury and others suffered second- and third-degree burns and blunt force injuries after a hot air balloon made a hard landing with several people aboard Thursday morning west of Pahrump, authorities said.
The landing was reported just before 6:30 a.m. near Stewart Valley Road by the California state line, according to Scott Lewis, director of Nye County Emergency Management and also the Pahrump’s fire chief.
Ten people were aboard the aircraft and were assessed for injuries, Nye County Undersheriff Corey Fowles said.
The balloon’s hard landing resulted in an explosion after the basket tipped, Lewis said. The explosion caused several nearby spot fires that had gone out by the time authorities arrived.
In a news release, the Nye County Sheriff’s Office said 911 operators received a text message stating a hot air balloon crashed in the Stewart Valley dry lake west of Pahrump.
The person reporting the crash said he was transporting victims to Desert View Hospital in Pahrump, according to the sheriff’s office statement, which did not specify how many were injured.
Authorities said that deputies responded to the scene and to the hospital. Deputies arrived at the scene and found only staff for the balloon company. All passengers had been taken to the hospital, the release said.
A spokesperson for Desert View Hospital said Thursday afternoon the hospital received nine patients as a result of the balloon crash.
”Six patients have been treated and discharged, while three patients required transfer to higher level care in critical condition,” said hospital spokesperson Ryan Muccio in an email.
A spokesperson for University Medical Center in Las Vegas said the hospital received one patient but was unable to provide their condition.
Lewis added everyone aboard suffered injuries to varying degrees. Lewis said he wasn’t able to detail the extent of injuries, but that some came away with scrapes and bruises while others suffered second- and third-degree burns.
“Almost everyone has some level of burn injuries,” Lewis said.
It was not yet confirmed which company was the operator of the aircraft.
Nye County Sheriff’s Office said in its release that FAA investigators also responded to the scene. An FAA spokesperson said in an email that the agency will post a preliminary incident report online in the coming days.
Contact Casey Harrison at charrison@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Casey_Harrison1 on X.
