Explosion at Timet manufacturing plant rattles windows in Henderson
LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Two people suffered minor injuries when an explosion happened Wednesday morning at the Timet chemical plant in Henderson.
The Henderson Fire Department says it got the call around 8:15 a.m.
"When they arrived, they discovered something occurred during Timet's manufacturing process. They use magnesium during that process and something happened that caused an explosion at the facility," says fire department spokesperson Kathleen Richards.
Richards says there were no releases of hazardous materials into the environment.
"At this point, it looks like it was completely contained to the facility and our residents don't have anything to worry about," she told reporters Wednesday morning.
That's good news to Joel Perlman, who lives right down the street from Timet. He heard the blast.
"Thought it was some type of military exercise. Came outside, looked out in the middle of the street and saw smoke billowing out of the Timet complex," Perlman told me.
This is not the first time something like this has happened at the huge industrial complex, which is surrounded by Henderson but technically sits on Clark County land.
In 1998, reports say an explosion happened at the Timet plant, causing no injuries. The company has also run afoul of regulators, incurring fines for emission releases and other issues.
Nearby residents say the plant has been a good neighbor. Some didn't even know what happened today.
"I didn't see or hear or feel anything at all," said Cheryl Griggs.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration says it has opened an investigation into Wednesday morning's accident.
Given the plant's location on county land, Clark County tells News 3 it will be expecting a report from Timet, and based on the information, may or may not do an inspection.
"We've been training for several years now to be able to respond to any type of emergency out here," says Henderson Fire Department's Richards. "Immediately we put that process into place," she added, when the call came Wednesday.
Henderson practices for moments like today because of the legacy of what happened 30 years ago this coming May.
There was a huge explosion at the Pepcon chemical plant, which killed two people and did $70 million in damage.
Today, that neighborhood, in the shadow of Black Mountain bears no reminder of that day in 1988.
Pepcon has been replaced with an industrial park and apartment buildings.
In this incident at Timet, Richards says the two people who received minor injuries declined medical care.
News 3 made repeated calls to Timet, but as of publication, has not received a callback.
A spokesperson was quoted in local newspapers saying production at the facility resumed this afternoon.
