Flash flood leaves motorists stranded

Jace Radke and Mary Manning

Thursday, July 5, 2001 | 10:59 a.m.

A Wednesday night thunderstorm turned roadways into rivers in southwest Las Vegas, sending emergency crews and neighbors into rushing water to save stranded motorists.

While Metro Police and Clark County firefighters worked to rescue a family stuck in water near Blue Diamond Road and Decatur Boulevard, Barry Kaiser and Eric Coons were wading through more than 4 feet of water to reach a woman and her baby, who were trapped in a pickup.

"We saw someone was in there, and we just took off running," Kaiser said. "There really wasn't any time to think about it, we were just trying to get to them."

The two men, who live off Industrial Road between Blue Diamond and Cactus Avenue, were checking on neighbors when they came across a pickup half covered by water in a wash about 11:30 p.m. The two made their way about 75 yards through the water to the truck and found the mother and baby inside.

"Eric busted out the window, and we got the baby out," Kaiser said. "I got it to the shore, and then the police helicopter got there. They told Eric and the mother to get in the back of the truck, and then the police flew them to shore."

Residents in the area bordered by Blue Diamond, Cactus, Industrial and Jones Boulevard found themselves caught in floodwaters from a thunderstorm cell that passed over the Spring Mountains about 10:15 p.m.

According to the National Weather Service, there are no official rain gauges in the area of the flooding, but U.S. Forest Service firefighters this morning said that about an inch of rain fell in a short period. The downpour and steep terrain caused the problem.

About 10:30 p.m. county fire units went to the area after getting a cell phone call from a woman who said she was trapped in floodwaters.

The woman and two other adults climbed to the top of their minivan and waited to be rescued, Bob Leinbach, a county fire department spokesman, said.

"We tried to extend a ladder to them, but it wasn't quite long enough," Leinbach said. "The water subsided a little, and we were able to send some rescuers out to get them."

A Metro helicopter shone a light on the car as three firefighters in life jackets slowly made their way to the car, then back out bringing the stranded motorists. The motorists were scared but not injured, Leinbach said.

"They just said they thought they could make it through," Leinbach said. "We tell people not to drive through the water, but they want to get home, and they think they can make it. If it weren't for cell phones, they could still be out there."

Stranded motorists in the Blue Diamond area are common during flash floods. In 1986 a family of five was killed when the father attempted to drive a pickup across a flooded road. A 3-month-old child was found three miles downstream after being torn out of a car seat by rushing water.

Kaiser, 23, said he and Coons, 36, were checking on neighbors because of the severity of past floods.

"When the rain hits the mountains, we get slammed," Kaiser said. "We were originally going to our friend's home, because last time it rained his barn flooded, and we had to get the horses out."

Kaiser and Coons were driving heavy-duty tractors through the flooded streets when they came upon the woman and baby. During the rescue Kaiser lost his shoes to the fast-moving water.

"If that helicopter hadn't got there, I don't know what we would have done, but we would have had to try something," Kaiser said. "We would have found a way."

The National Weather Service reports that there is a chance of more rain and thunderstorms this afternoon and evening, as moisture continues to stream into Southern Nevada from Mexico. The best chance for enough rain to cause more flash floods is expected Friday.

No measurable rain fell at McCarran International Airport on Wednesday, but a wind gust of 44 mph was recorded in the southwest part of the Las Vegas Valley at 7:46 p.m.

Lightning strikes near Trout Canyon on the western side of the Spring Mountains sparked 10 individual tree fires, Forest Service spokesman Lee Nelson said.

Firefighting crews responded to each blaze, Nelson said.