Garage Fire and Explosion Destroys Structure

Golden Valley Firefighters were dispatched to a structure fire at 1353 Don Luis Road Friday evening at 5:38 PM.  Responding units reported seeing heavy smoke from 6-miles away as they left the fire station.  The first fire engine arrived only 6-minutes after dispatch and reported heavy smoke coming from the garage. Inside were several thousand rounds of live ammunition, recreational vehicles and acetylene tanks.  Chief O’Donohue reports at least one firefighter being struck by a round of ammunition.  During extinguishment operations, the situation quickly turned even more dangerous when an acetylene tank ruptured, knocking at least one firefighter over and pushed one back into a tree from the blast concussion.  The blast pushed out walls and rained large chucks of burning debris on the surrounding area.  Firefighters continued to protect the home that was approximately 50 feet from the fully involved garage, saving the house from any fire damage.  The fire was declared “Under Control” 36-minutes after being dispatched, however firefighters continued to work under after 9:00 PM to assure there were no hot spots that would reignite later.  The owner reported that two large tortoises were in the garage at the time of the fire and perished.  The cause of the fire is under investigation by Golden Valley Fire District Fire Investigators.  A total of 12 firefighters responded to this fire and despite the explosion, there were no reported injuries to the occupant or firefighters.   

Sohi Area Structure Fire

After a brief respite from record numbers of structure fires, Golden Valley Firefighters were again dispatched Monday at 10:00 for a residential fire in the Sohi area located at 4705 Thurman Drive.  The three occupants were seen grabbing personal belongings from inside the home as fire crews arrived.  The occupants who were home at the time, heard the smoke detector activate, which had been installed just days earlier, warning them of the growing fire.  One resident reported fire from a receptacle where there was a space heater plugged in.  The fire rapidly went up the wall into the pantry area and into the attic space.  Firefighters rapidly extinguished the fire, saving the structure and personal belongings. Chief O’Donohue warns residents to never re-enter a home for any belongings and credits the smoke detector for waking the couple who were sleeping at the time of the fire. Fire Marshal Randy Osborn indicated faulty wiring was to blame for this morning’s fire which destroyed the kitchen area and caused smoke damage throughout the home. There were no reported injuries.

Fatal Structure Fire

Two Golden Valley Firefighters battle heavy flames to gain access to the main structure to search for occupants.

Golden Valley Fire Chief Thomas O’Donohue confirmed one person died this morning at the scene of a structure fire at 1425 Verde Road.  Firefighters discovered the body of a subject after extinguishing the residential fire that was dispatched at 3:05 AM.  Firefighters were initially advised from 911 Dispatch there may be a person trapped inside the structure, which was confirmed by firefighters upon arrived.  Firefighters were on scene within 6-minutes and reported heavy flames from the apartment structure and spreading to the main home when they arrived.  In addition, live power lines that fell from the structure showered sparks near firefighters who worked around the live power lines to gain access to the victim.   Occupants of the main home who escaped, reported there was still one person inside the structure so firefighters went into Rescue Mode initially to locate the victim while simultaneously conducting extinguishing operations.  The primary and secondary search revealed the victim was not in the main house, rather an outside apartment type structure to the rear which was fully involved upon arrival of fire crews.  Golden Valley Fire Investigators were on scene combing through the evidence and working with MCSO detectives to determine the cause of this morning’s fatal fire.  The victim has not been identified until all next of kin notifications can be properly made.  At least two family dogs were also discovered deceased in the main home after the detailed search by firefighters. In all, fourteen firefighters responded to the scene in addition to MCSO Deputies and Detectives.  No other injuries were reported to occupants or firefighters.  The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation at this time.

Suspicious Car Fire

Golden Valley Firefighter Bryon Kimber and Captain Dave Cunningham extinguished the fire in this 2007 GMC pickup truck Wednesday at 1:53 a.m. on Klagetoh Road just north of Hwy-68.  The pickup appeared to have been abandoned and is considered a total loss.  The fire is currently under investigation by MCSO and considered suspicious at this time.  There were no injuries and the driver and occupants were not around. The road remained blocked for an hour while emergency crews extinguished the fire and assessed the situation.

Man Critically Injured on Highway 68

Monday afternoon at 12:51 p.m. Golden Valley Firefighter-Paramedics treated and assisted with transporting a 49-year old male who was struck in the head by the mirror of a passing pickup truck and critically injured.  The patient was adding gasoline to his vehicle which was stopped on the shoulder of the highway on westbound Hwy-68 at Teddy Roosevelt Road after running out of fuel.  Friends and family members were on scene and witnessed the accident.  The patient was transported to KRMC as a Level-1 trauma for immediate treatment.  The driver of the vehicle that struck the patient immediately stopped at the scene and awaited emergency officials.  KRMC emergency room staff treated the patient, who was transported to a Las Vegas Trauma Center via helicopter for critical injuries.  The highway remained blocked for over an hour while DPS officers investigated the scene.