Las Vegas Firefighters Battle Massive Tire Fire

June 21, 2007
Firefighters dug a trench under the track to pass the hoses to the scene to avoid any impact the fire on the train schedules.

A four-alarm fire downtown which involved a large pile of automotive tires is under investigation. There were no injuries in connection with the incident. No buildings in the area were damaged by the fire.

Fire dispatchers received a call at 4:00 p.m. Wednesday afternoon that a pile of trash was on fire in a storage yard on West Bonanza Road across from D Street. When firefighters arrived a few minutes later they found a very large pile of tiles about 100 feet by 75 feet and nearly 15 feet high starting to burn. The crew requested a full first alarm assignment which brought four more units and a chief to the scene. Within 15 minutes a second alarm was dispatched which doubled the number of firefighters and units to the scene. Later a third alarm was dispatched and at 5:08 p.m. the fourth and final alarm was dispatched. Before it was over, a total of 40 units with 125 firefighters responded to the scene.

The pile of tires was located in a storage yard, well from any buildings or other structures. Although the fire was intense, it did not spread to any buildings. Firefighters surrounded the pile and using several master streams and aerial ladders, they poured thousands of gallons of water and foam to bring the fire under control which took nearly two hours. Water supply and pressure was not an issue during the fire, although a representative from the Water District arrived on scene to work with the incident commander to see that water supplies were made available.

Several hoses were brought to the fire from Main Street. Firefighters had to cut a hole in a cyclone fence which separates a parking lot from the Union Pacific railroad tracks. Firefighters then dug a trench under the tracks, under the supervision of Union Pacific representative on scene, to pass the hoses to the scene. This way, trains were not impacted by the fire and could stay on schedule. Union Pacific Railroad kept a representative on scene to ensure the safety of fire personnel on scene during the incident.

Metro Police closed Bonanza Road, D Street and the off ramp from I-15 to D Street during the incident and managed the crowds. They also went through the nearby neighborhoods using loud speakers on their police cruisers advising the public to stay indoors during the incident because of smoke in the area. The media provided immediate information to the public about the "shelter in place" and the Las Vegas Emergency Management Office also assisted by using the reverse 9-1-1 notification system to alert residents in the area of the fire. The EMO also provided food and refreshments for firefighters on scene through the American Red Cross.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. The Clark County Health District will be looking into the incident to see if there were any environmental concerns because of the fire.

Firefighters were expected to remain on scene for several more hours dousing the pile with more water and foam. There were no injuries during the entire incident and no major damage.

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