Company sues over plant fire

Thursday, March 21, 2002 | 9:45 a.m.

A storage cabinet maker formerly located at a building housing the AeroTech plant sued AeroTech, another model rocket maker, its landlord and Clark County to recover damages caused by a fire on Oct. 15.

Modern Concepts Inc., its owner Harry Woodcock and worker Rick Bingham sued AeroTech, Industrial Solid Propulsion Inc., its landlord, Manuel & Janet Bautista Family Trust, and the Clark County Fire Department in Clark County District Court on Wednesday.

The suit said the fire "began, accelerated and spread" because of the defendants' "reckless and careless storage, handling ... of hazardous and explosive chemicals" on its premises and accused the Clark County Fire Department of failing to "follow procedures and known methods of fire control" in extinguishing the fire.

The fire, which started in a machine that produces model rocket engines in the AeroTech plant and killed one worker and severely injured two others, was quickly put out. But a second blaze that erupted in a water-soaked barrel of magnesium destroyed AeroTech and several other businesses in the building.

Modern Concepts, now at 664 Meadowgate Road in Henderson, said its business at 1955 Palm St. was destroyed because of the defendants' failure to warn the plaintiffs of the presence of hazardous chemicals and to have a proper fire control system.