July Fourth calm in valley except on water - Las Vegas Review - Journal

Posted: Jul. 5, 2012 | 10:16 a.m.

High winds and waves swept through Lake Mead National Recreation Area Wednesday, nearly drowning one swimmer, injuring a boater and dampening the Fourth of July for others who hit the lake to celebrate.

Park rangers at Lake Mead rescued 40 people involved in boating accidents and malfunctions and other medical emergencies over the holiday. In contrast, fire and police officials throughout the Las Vegas Valley called this Independence Day relatively uneventful.

Bystanders at Lake Mead on Wednesday rescued a drowning 19-year-old man and dragged him to shore, Assistant Chief Ranger Randy Lavasseur said. The man, who was not wearing a life jacket, was airlifted to University Medical Center after rangers from the National Park Service and the Nevada Division of Wildlife revived him, Lavasseur said.

Another man was hospitalized after his right leg was nearly severed by a boat propeller. Lavasseur did not have an update on either man's condition. 

In a close call, rangers rescued a group of five from a boat that had capsized and had just one life jacket on board, Lavasseur said. When rangers arrived, four passengers were clinging to the nearly-sunken boat.

"If this would have been a longer response time, we could have had some (fatalities) out there," he said. When the weather soured, many boaters tried to make it back to marinas rather than seeking temporary shelter in a cove, Lavasseur said.  

Fire departments around the valley spent weeks preparing for one of their busiest days of the year, but firefighters dealt with fewer and less severe fires caused by fireworks on the nation's birthday this year than in years past because, in part, of the first rain in weeks. 

Las Vegas Fire Department spokesman Tim Szymanski called it the "calmest Fourth of July in the past 16 years."  For the first time in that span, no buildings in the city were damaged by fireworks. 

One adult was taken to the hospital with minor burns after he was hit in the chest by fireworks, Szymanski said.  

Szymanski also said there were fewer tree, brush and grass fires caused by fireworks than in years past, which he attributed to the moisture. His department responded to a few of those and several fires in trash bins caused by disposed fireworks.  

The only major fire caused by fireworks reported in the valley happened on the eve of the national holiday.  

The Clark County Fire Department responded to a house fire near West Cactus Avenue and Decatur Boulevard about 7 p.m. Tuesday.

A fire started after a teenager ignited fireworks inside the house, at 10437 Mulvaney Circle. By the time firefighters had knocked down the flames less than 20 minutes later, the blaze had caused more than $150,000 in damage to the second floor and roof and displaced the family of five.

In Henderson, Chief Jeff Lytle said his department responded to a handful of palm tree and brush fires Wednesday, all caused by fireworks. 

"Other than that, it was a pretty uneventful Fourth for us," Lytle said.  

Spokesmen from the Las Vegas, Henderson and North Las Vegas police departments said they knew of no notable incidents on the Fourth of July.

Law enforcement conducted sobriety checkpoints near Sahara Avenue and Decatur Boulevard on Tuesday and Wednesday. Over those two days, 30 people were arrested for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, Las Vegas police spokesman Bill Cassell said. That number doesn't include DUI arrests made by normal patrols.

Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Loy Hixson said troopers cited nine drivers for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol - six in traffic stops and three as a result of accidents.  

The rain in the morning and afternoon caused some accidents, Hixson said, but the day was otherwise a quiet one for Highway Patrol troopers.  

Heavy winds and a storm front that brought light rain to the valley Wednesday morning kept air quality levels in check, said Russell Roberts, a spokesman for the Clark County Department of Air Quality. 

The county's air quality department issued an air quality advisory in the days before the holiday, as it does every year, in anticipation of a rise in smoke levels from fireworks and barbecues. Roberts said the department measured a "significant rise" in particulates in the air from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. - the peak time for setting off fireworks, he noted.  

But the weather stopped particulate matter from climbing to unhealthy levels, he said.  

Contact reporter Kyle Potter at kpotter@reviewjournal .com or 702-383-0391.