Blaze burns about 50 motorcycles at Las Vegas dealership
A fire in southeast Las Vegas damaged dozens of motorcycles and other small motorized vehicles, officials said.
The blaze was reported at RideNow Powersports, at 6350 Boulder Highway near East Russell Road, just after 2 p.m. on Thursday, according to the Clark County Fire Department.
No injuries were reported, but the fire sent large plumes of smoke into the sky and made multiple loud “popping noises,” according to one onlooker.
Sheldon Bradshaw said he was on the sidewalk along Boulder Highway just south of the business when the fire broke out.
“At first, I heard crackling noises,” Bradshaw said. “Then I saw a little bit of black smoke, but after that it just got massive. It sounded like bombs going of, just one right after another.”
Carlito Rayos, a deputy fire chief with the Clark County Fire Department, said the cause of the fire was still under investigation as of early Thursday evening.
He said it’s estimated to have caused close to $650,000 worth of damage. The fire caused damage to motorcycles that were in crates inside a stockyard area to the south of the RideNow building.
In total, about 50 motorcycles and other small, motorized vehicles with more than two wheels were damaged, Rayos said.
“Wind was a factor and that complicated fire suppression efforts,” Rayos said. “Despite that, fire crews were able to knock down (the fire) at approximately 2:28 p.m.”
Rayos said the business was still operational despite the fire. When approached by a Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter, a man who identified himself as a manager at RideNow declined to comment.
The fire was reported by multiple 911 callers, according to a Clark County spokesperson. When asked, Rayos said arson had not been ruled out as the possible cause of the fire as of early Thursday evening.
“The investigation is ongoing and investigators are working through that process,” Rayos said.
There is a small community of tents used by homeless people to the immediate west of the RideNow complex, just north of Duck Creek Trail.
Rayos said investigators were “looking into” the possibility that someone in that community was involved in the fire’s origin.
Contact Bryan Horwath at bhorwath@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BryanHorwath on X.
