By Vernon Robison

Moapa Valley Progress

A tire blowout on an engine from Overton Fire Station 74 caused an accident on Saturday morning along I-15 outside of Las Vegas. Photo courtesy of Troy Johnson.

A fire engine from Overton Fire Station 74 sustained damage in an accident on Interstate 15 just north of Las Vegas on Saturday morning. The accident was caused by a blowout in the engine’s driver side front tire, officials said.

According to Clark County Fire Department Rural Coordinator Mike Johnson, Station 74 chief Matt Nelson was travelling to Las Vegas on Saturday to complete a training class. Nelson was asked to drive the engine to Las Vegas that morning so that a semi-annual pump test could be completed on the vehicle while he was in training, Johnson said.

Nelson had stopped at a fuel station near Apex to fill up the vehicle’s fuel tank. Then he had continued on his journey, Johnson said.

Shortly after that, the blowout occurred while the vehicle was travelling at highway speeds. The blowout forced the engine off of the road and into a gulley.

Nelson was the only person on board the vehicle. He suffered no serious injuries in the accident, Johnson said.

Johnson added that it was clear that the driver was not at fault in the accident.

“He did a great job and kept the vehicle upright which is important in situations like that,” Johnson said of Nelson. “But those vehicles are pretty low to the ground so there was some damage to the bumper and the front end.”

Officials are still trying to determine the exact cause of the blowout. The emergency vehicles receive periodic safety inspections and are on a regular maintenance schedule, Johnson said.

“Safety is a real priority with those vehicles,” Johnson said. “I’m sure we will find out exactly why this happened.”

In the meantime, a reserve engine was sent out to Station 74 on Saturday to be used until the damaged vehicle is either repaired or replaced, Johnson said.

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