Explosions rock firing range for police, FBI

Monday, Oct. 29, 2001 | 9:34 a.m.

The Las Vegas Fire Department bomb squad was on the scene today assessing options for securing an ammunition bunker near the Metro Police Shooting Range that exploded Sunday, wounding two police officers.

Clark County Fire Department spokesman Bob Leinbach said today that inspectors have not been able to get to the scene to determine the cause of at least three explosions that shook area homes near Lake Mead and Hollywood boulevards, at about 1 p.m.

The officers sustained minor injuries and were treated at the scene, 7600 E. Carey Ave.

Leinbach said the LVFD was called in to assist because that fire department has an area bomb squad. Once the area is deemed secure, investigators will move in to try to determine a cause of a fire that apparently sparked the explosions.

The closest residences to the range, about a half mile from the scene, were evacuated Sunday, Leinbach said. A ridge separates the shooting range from the residences, serving as a protective barrier against explosions.

The firing range is a multi-agency facility that provides shooting practice for the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, Nevada Highway Patrol and other agencies, said Tirso Dominguez, a Metro Police spokesman.