Las Vegas firefighters respond to 146 blazes on Fourth of July
Las Vegas firefighters responded to 146 reports of blazes on the Fourth of July, many started by fireworks.
At least three homes were damaged, displacing residents, but no one was injured, according to a news release from the Las Vegas Fire Department. The previous four years had no significant building damage, the department said. Last year, the department responded to 130 reported fires.
“It’s a tinderbox out there, and you have sparks falling from the sky,” department spokesman Tim Szymanski said Sunday. “I’ve been doing this for 24 years, and this was the busiest night we’ve had. We had every one of our units out on the road.”
Fireworks had not been ruled out as a cause of any of the fires, which were under investigation.
Nearly 1,400 calls were handled by the department’s Combined Communications Center, according to the release. The average number of daily calls is 925.
Some calls were unfounded; others involved brush, grass, trash can, dumpster and tree fires.
“Our firefighters were all over the valley,” Szymanski said, adding that North Las Vegas, Henderson and Clark County fire departments worked together to respond to the calls. “Everyone was extremely busy, and they did a fantastic job of saving a lot of property last night.”
Also, Las Vegas police took 358 fireworks-related calls between 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 a.m. Sunday, according to Metropolitan Police Department records.
In Nye County, officials were threatening citations and arrests for illegal fireworks that led to some fires. The county Sheriff’s Office made an online plea Saturday night for people to stop using aerial fireworks.
Pahrump Valley firefighters had to respond to calls about fires at homes and desert brush areas. Sheriff’s officials said deputies would be searching and citing or arresting anyone found launching aerial fireworks.
Looking ahead to next year, Szymanski said residents can take precautions to help prevent fireworks from damaging their property.
He recommends homeowners over-water their plants and lawns the week before July Fourth to make them less flammable. He also recommends purchasing a fire hose nozzle for garden hoses.
“You can knock out 90-95 percent of fires with one of those,” Szymanski said.
Contact Alex Chhith at achhith@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0290. Follow @alexchhith on Twitter. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Saturday night
The roof caught fire on a two-story house on Piccola Way; firefighters extinguished it before the fire caused significant damage, according to a news release from the Las Vegas Fire Department.
At 9:40 p.m., firefighters responded to a two-story house on Pomerado Drive and found smoke coming from the roof. The fire extended into the attic, and flames were coming through the roof before firefighters could put it out. The home sustained significant damage, and residents were displaced.
At 10:08 p.m., firefighters responded to a one-story house on Parsifal Place on a report of a palm tree fire that extended to a parked vehicle. The fire did minor damage to the outside of the house.
At 11:06 p.m., firefighters responded to Red Badge Avenue for a garage fire at a two-story house. The fire gutted the garage and destroyed a vehicle in the garage. The house sustained significant damage, and residents were displaced.
