MAY 18, 2015
SANDY VALLEY, NEVADA
A Las Vegas police officer was seriously burned on his face,
neck and hands by exploding debris while on a call in Sandy Valley on Monday.
A civilian also suffered minor burns in what may be an
accidental explosion, police said. First responders were sent in for medical
support about 5:46 p.m., according to Clark County Fire Department dispatch
logs.
The officer, whose name was not immediately released, was
called to investigate an abandoned residence in the 2000 block of Woods Avenue
in Sandy Valley, which is about 60 miles southwest of Las Vegas. When the home
was cleared by the officer, people gathered up garbage from a previous tenant
in a “burn barrel,” Metropolitan Police Department supervisor Lt. Dave Valenta
said.
An unknown item or chemical in the barrel exploded, and the
officer was the closest to it. He was taken in a helicopter to University
Medical Center. His condition was not released.
Valenta said Metro’s hazardous materials ARMOR unit, as well
the Las Vegas Fire Department bomb squad were investigating the incident to
determine what caused the explosion.
Additional details were not immediately available.