Nine firms licensed to make explosives

Jace Radke and Keith Paul

Monday, Oct. 22, 2001 | 9:47 a.m.

Of nine companies licensed to manufacture explosives in Clark County by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, only the model rocket company that burned to the ground last week mass-produced products.

Industrial Solid Propulsion and AeroTech Inc. made model rockets at the companies' eastern Las Vegas plant, 1955 S. Palm St., near Boulder Highway and Sahara Avenue.

The federal permits held by all nine companies allow them to manufacture explosives. Industrial Solid Propulsion held a permit; AeroTech was in the process of renewing its expired license.

But other local ATF licensees bear little resemblance to the plant Industrial Solid Propulsion shared with AeroTech, where 2,500 pounds of ammonium perchlorate and 800 pounds of magnesium burned Oct. 15, setting off several explosions.

Fire investigators determined a spark from a manufacturing machine started the fire. Two injured workers remained in critical condition this morning, and another was in good condition.

"These licenses can encompass a lot of things," said Matt Dillingham, president of Advanced Entertainment Services, a production company that handles pyrotechnics at shows and concerts, one of the nine firms holding a manufacturing license from the ATF. "There is a big difference between thousands of pounds of ammonium perchlorate and magnesium and the 50 pounds of stuff I have in my warehouse.

"We have the manufacturer's license because some of the suppliers we deal with require it. We're not mass-producing anything."

Unlike the rocket plant, Dillingham's company is not near any residential areas. The business is in an industrial area south of Arville Street and Tropicana Avenue.

"We store some pyrotechnics, but we generally try to buy only as much as we're going to use for each show," Dillingham said.

The other seven licensees in the county include:

* Chemical Lime, a mining company in the Apex Industrial Park, about 20 miles northeast of Las Vegas along Interstate 15. It uses explosives in mining operations.

* Explosives Professionals Inc., a company that specializes in cleaning power plants, located outside Moapa, about 45 miles northeast of Las Vegas. It uses explosive elements to knock buildup off the inside of the plants, a company officials said.

* Sanders Construction Inc. and Sandex, two companies at 8390 S. 4th St., in Henderson's Black Mountain Industrial Center. They use explosives to break up caliche for construction projects and in drilling. All explosive materials are stored at least 5 miles from homes, owner Danny Sanders said.

* New Castle Corp., operating at the Excalibur hotel. A spokeswoman for the Excalibur would not comment on the New Castle Corp. or what it does. She referred questions to a spokesman, who did not return phone calls Friday.

* Mineralogical Airborne Research, a company with an address on Rancho Destino, in the southwest part of town, according to the ATF. A home is under construction at that address, and phone calls were not returned.

* Steven Shine, with an address listed as 3817 Diamond Ridge St. in the northwest part of town. The phone number is disconnected and the home at that site is for sale.

The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms oversees the licensing of companies that manufacture, import or use explosives. Besides the nine companies licensed to manufacture explosives, another 31 other companies in the county are licensed to import or use explosives.

The state also has a hand in regulating these businesses, issuing hazardous storage permits to companies that use hazardous materials and chemicals, which can be anything from chlorine to ammonium, State Hazardous Materials Inspector Rex Tyler said.

Acting State Fire Marshal Vicki Stevens said that businesses such as department stores that sell chlorine or convenience stores that sell antifreeze and gas stations all are required to have the state permits.

State fire marshal inspectors will be checking all of the businesses with ATF licenses or permits in Clark County to determine if they need to have a hazardous materials license, she said.

"We don't know why some businesses don't have a state license, but once we determine a business needs one, we leave them with the forms to fill out and make sure they come into compliance," Stevens said.

Including Tyler, four hazardous materials inspectors crisscross the state making inspections, Tyler said.

"We look at the new business license lists and visit industrial areas to find these businesses," Tyler said. "Some don't know that they need a state permit."

Chemical Lime, Sandex and Sanders have state permits, because the amount and types of chemicals those businesses store are considered dangerous.

AeroTech and Industrial Solid Propulsion and the other five companies did not have licenses, according to state records, Stevens said.

"That doesn't mean they aren't in compliance," Stevens said. "It could mean that they don't have the quantity and types of chemicals that require a state license. "

The quantity and types of chemicals are spelled out in the 1997 Uniform Fire Codes. That document details, for example, that to store any amount of ammonium perchlorate you need a permit, Tyler said.

AeroTech and Industrial Solid Propulsion had both federal and county permits, but company officials did not know they needed a state fire marshal's hazardous material permit, company spokesman Mike Martens said.

Had county officials told AeroTech that a state permit also was needed, company officials would have sought one. "At no point did they bring this to our attention," Martens said.

County Fire Department inspectors has inspected AeroTech within the past six months.