Pahrump landfill fire finall3/out
by Mary Lamar
Gazette Staff
PAHRUMP-- A fire at the landfill was another in the many
fires that Pahrump has been experiencing over the past several
days. Calls regarding the fire came in between 7 - 7:30 p.m.,
Thursday, August 7.
Firefighters arrived on scene
within five to ten minutes of
the call-out.
Fire Chief Vern Long of
the Pahrump Volunteer Fire
Department said, "We had
approximately 14 firefighters
on that scene."
The blaze itself was con-
rained in a debris pit approxi-
mately 250 feet wide, 600 feet
long and about 20 feet deep.
'qalley Electric Association
stood by as a precaution due to
several of their electrical poles
surrounding the debris pit.
The landfill is located off of
Highway 160 on Mesquite,
Lafill blaze-.-Two fireflghters stare into the blaze at the Paln'ump landfill fire on
Thursday, August 7 as flames and smoke fill the night skies. The orange glow from
the fire could from most of Pahrump, until late Thursday night.
brought in to extinguish the flames. Long's concern for the safety
of the Town prompted him to pull out the water tenders and crews
about 1 a.m. Water tenders are called out on all fires, but the
safety of a house and its occupants supersedes the smoldering ash
ofthe landfill. Several small fires in Pahrump caused additional
concern. Ambu-
lance crews
stayed at the fire
scene until the
fire crews were
released.
Landfill per-
sonnel moni-
tored the smol-
dering ash for
the next few
days. By early
morning, white
smoke was seen
throughout the
valley, just a re-
minder of the
blaze from the
previous night.
• providing an exquisite view of the Town. The smoke from the Long reported no injuries, and no damage to the landfill or the
fire could be seen throughout the valley. As the skies grew electrical poles that surrounded it. The fire department retumed to
darker, an orange glow could be seen from most of Pahrump. thelandfillonAugust 11 todousetberemainsofsmolderingdebris
Water was limited at the scene and water tenders were orle last time. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Wild fire destroys parts of Toiyabe Forest
by Mary Lamar
Gazette Staff
Firefighters from several different agencies had their
hands full over the last two weeks battling blazes in the
Toiyabe National Forest.
Lightning is said to be the culprit in many of
the blazes according to officials with the Moun-
tain Springs Volunteer Fire Department. At
least 21 fires were sparked over the two week
period. Officials estimate the number of acres
of land charred in the blaze to be between 1,000
to 1,500.
Two television stations went off the air in
Pahrump alter a fire in the Mountain Springs area
burned the electric poles and translators that
services the stations. Channe! 19 (FOX) came
back on the air on Tuesday and Channel 24
(CBS) re-appeared on Wednesday. Valley Elec-
tric Association, the electric service providers to
the transmitters, lost 22 poles in the fire.
Roy Bell, a line foreman for VEA said that
crews worked 12 -14 hour days to repair the
damage. Thirteen of the new poles that were installed had to
be flown in by helicopter.
Numerou agencms responding to the fires included
Bureau of Land Management, Mountain Springs Volunteer
Fire Department and US Forestry Service. Crews were
dropped off by helicopter and remained on the mountain sides
until relieved, many hiked three to five miles out after the fire
was extinguished. Rough terrain made vehicles non-assess-
able in most areas.
Toiyabe Forest w Valley Electric pole lies charred after a wild fire sweeps
through Toiyabe National Forest.
The enormous amount of manpower spent battling the
blaze prevented injuries to the firefighters, or the loss of
wildlife. "These are the things that we are thankful for," Larry
Benham, Fire Prevention Technician, Mountain Springs
Volunteer Fire Department stated.
Report of smoke sends PVFD code three
When the Pahrump Volunteer Fire Department arrived on
the scene, a small electrical fire had started in a wooden
storage cabinet. PVFD removed the cabinet and shut down
the electrical to the building• Using a fire extinguisher they
smothered the flames then moved the cabinet outside. "They
were really lucky that some-
one was there, if this had hap-
pened at night it could have
burned to the ground," Long
stated.
The video store was
ready for business later in
the day. "They (PVFD) re-
sponded so quickly, it was
great. I would like to thank
that very helpful customer,"
Dillman said.
by Mary Lamar
PAHRUMP - Adventure Land Video's employee Kathy
Dillman said, "I knew I could smell something, but I could not
see anything•" Dillman was on duty Thursday, August 7
Adventure Land Video-.- A small electrical fire on August 7
around 11:30 a.m. when she
smelled smoke.
A customer in the video
store at the time of the inci-
dent, who wanted to remain
anonymous, stated he could
also smell the smoke. Dillman
and the customer saw a small
amount of smoke, which ap-
peared to be coming from the
floor. Dillman immediately
called 911.
Pahrump Valley Gazette, Thursday, August 14, 1997 17
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To the Nye County Commissioners:
Name:
Address:
Telephone #:
Bring to the IMhnxmp Valley or mail to
Pahrump Valley Gazette 1570 E Hwy 372
Pahrump, NV, 89048
. or
Attention. Charlie Gronda or Gary Hollis, Pahrump
Town Office 400 N. Hwy 160 Pahrump, NV., 89048
