Explosions, fires open holiday

Jerry Fink and Cheryl Miller

Friday, July 2, 1999 | 11:16 a.m.

Exploding propane tanks behind Treasure Island, a fire on the roof of the still-unfinished Resort at Summerlin and a fire that caused extensive damage to three neighboring homes ushered in the beginning of the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

Triple-digit temperatures in the Las Vegas Valley added to the danger faced by firefighters Thursday and may have caused the fire atop the Resort at Summerlin, officials say.

One county firefighter at the Treasure Island hotel-casino was taken to University Medical Center for treatment of a heat-related illness, Clark County Fire Department spokesman Steve La-Sky said.

La-Sky said 10 small propane tanks that each held between 5 and 7 gallons of the gas exploded around 1:15 p.m. in an open area near a warehouse behind Treasure Island near the Spring Mountain Road overpass.

He said the explosions ignited combustible material, which in turn ignited gas being released into the atmosphere by two 1,000-gallon propane tanks buried in the lot.

La-Sky said it is not known what caused the explosion of the smaller tanks but there are no signs of a source of ignition and so it is being ruled accidental.

He said it is doubtful heat caused the explosions, but he said heat probably caused the underground propane tanks to emit gas that caught on fire.

"When it gets hot, the buried tanks vent themselves," he said.

The two underground tanks supply propane for the pirate show at Treasure Island.

La-Sky said the incident took place near the resort's parking garage and a nearby apartment complex.

Part of the garage and all of the apartments were evacuated until the valve to the gas vents could be turned off.

There were no injuries and no major damage, just a spectacular scene, according to La-Sky.

A fire on the roof of the $270 million Resort at Summerlin, which is scheduled to open July 12 after missing a June 29 opening date, may have been caused by the heat, according to Las Vegas Fire Department spokesman Tim Szymanski.

He said no one was on the roof when the fire started under a piece of tin that covered a hood for a vent.

The heat may have ignited plastic foam insulation and other material under the tin.

No one was injured by the fire, which caused an estimated $5,000 damage.

Szymanski said the fire would not further delay the opening of the newest casino in the valley.

Fireworks are being blamed for a fire that caused a total of $90,000 in damage to three neighboring homes in the 6500 block of Evergreen Street and Bannock Way near Torrey Pines and West Charleston Boulevard.

There were no injuries in the three-alarm blaze, Szymanski said.

About 70 firefighters and 20 pieces of equipment responded to the fire.

Szymanski said extreme heat and high winds hampered the firefighters as they worked to confine the fast-spreading fire.

An alarm was turned in at 2:58 p.m.

The fire is believed to have started behind the residence at 6548 Bannock Way.

"As the first fire unit was approaching the scene, firefighters could see a large column of black smoke coming from the area," Szymanski said. "When they pulled up on the scene, they found the rear yard on fire and a large wood fence which separates the yards in the neighborhood.

"The fire had already worked its way up a utility pole and involved electric wires, which were also throwing sparks."

Szymanski said one home had extensive damage and two others suffered exterior damage.

Five outside sheds were destroyed and the yards of the three homes also had extensive damage.

Yet another fire caused extensive damage to a two-story home and displaced 13 people. Engines from the Clark County Fire Department responded to a house fire around 10 p.m. at 6362 Canyon Vista Court. All the residents escaped safely, but the blaze caused an estimated $100,000 damage and left a neighboring house with minor damage.

Children playing with matches are believed to have started the fire, La-Sky said.