Homeowner killed in Moapa Valley house fire

Editor’s Note: A version of this story appeared in this week’s print edition of The Progress. Developments in the story have occurred since that edition went to press. This online version will include the ongoing updates to the story. 

By VERNON ROBISON

The Progress

A Moapa Valley man was killed in a major fire that destroyed his home on Saturday night, April 23. The man’s name has not yet been released but the fire took place at a home near the intersection of Ron Ave. and Ash Street in Moapa Valley.

On Monday afternoon, April 25, fire crews returned to the scene with Las Vegas Metro Police Department personnel to conduct a search of the structure. During that search a body was located that was thought to be the homeowner.

The case has been turned over to the Clark County Coroner’s Office for identification of the body and determining the cause and manner of death.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

According to Moapa Valley Fire District Chief Stephen Neel, the alert for the fire came from dispatch at 7:49 p.m. on Saturday. At that time, many of the local volunteer firefighters were gathered at the Logandale Sports Complex for Moapa Valley Heroes, a community event which celebrated first responders.

“It was kind of fortunate because most of us were gathered there,” Neel said. “We all broke away from that event and went to the fire. The response time was remarkable because we were ready to roll.”

Firefighters from all three local stations arrived on scene to find the double-wide mobile home fully involved in flame. But they had difficulty initially accessing the building.

“There was just a narrow driveway which was full of old cars, 55 gallon drums, auto parts and other things,” Neel said. “We couldn’t get our engine inside of there.”

Firefighters ended up gaining access to the property by cutting the fence of a neighbor to the north. Once they were able to get to the fire, it took about 30 minutes to get it under control, Neel said.

“There was apparently a lot of ammunition in the house that was going off,” Neel added, “and there were propane tanks which were going off. All of that made the fire very hot. Because of that, we had to do a defensive attack on the fire.”

The firefighters were able to protect a structure next door to the house which was being threatened by the huge blaze.

“Based on what we had in front of us, we knew that the home was going to be a total loss,” Neel said. “So it became a priority to protect the home which was nearby.”

The district called out for help from surrounding firefighting units in the effort. Firefighters responded from Bunkerville Station #71, Clark County Fire Stations #23 and #16 in Las Vegas, and Station #57 from North Las Vegas. A Clark County Battalion Chief also came out to offer support in fighting the blaze.

Neel reported that there was a fire hydrant nearby that had the required fire flow serving it. But firefighters were still having trouble getting enough water to the fire, even at that appropriate pressure.

“Due to the severity of fire, we needed a lot of water fast,” Neel said. “So we contacted the Moapa Valley Water District crews and asked them to distribute more water to the hydrant for more pressure. They were very responsive and maxed out the water pressure to that hydrant which helped us in fighting the fire.”

Absent through all of this was the owner of the property. The man was not found at the scene and there were indications that he may have been inside the building. Attempts to contact his cellphone went unanswered, Neel said.

“Due to the compromised structural integrity of the structure’s main floor and the fear of collapse, crews were not able to make entry to conduct a search for the homeowner,” Neel said.