Rescuers to resume search for missing teen Thursday morning

A search for a teen who went missing after falling into a Hender­son wash during a downpour Wednesday will continue this morning, authorities said.

The search was suspended about 6:45 p.m. Wednesday.

Henderson officials said a person called 911 about 11:40 a.m. and said a teenage boy had fallen into the Pittman Wash near Stephanie Street and Sunset Road, behind the Target shopping center.

A Las Vegas police helicopter as well as Henderson police and firefighters tried to find the person.

Authorities looked downstream to locate the boy. The wash, which empties into the Las Vegas Wash near Sam Boyd Stadium, was filled with storm runoff when the boy disappeared.

Police had not released the teen's name as of Wednesday.

There were reports that the wash was so full it was running over Stephanie north of Sunset, forcing the road to be closed.

Henderson police spokesman Keith Paul said the water in the wash was moving "extraordinarily swiftly."

Residents in other parts of the valley also felt the wrath of the rain.

Metropolitan Police Department spokeswoman Laura Meltzer said officers fielded calls all day Wednesday about people who had either fallen into washes or were in them for entertainment.

Meltzer said residents need to be aware of the dangers washes pose during torrential downpours.

"A lot of people underestimate the power of moving water, getting down there, thinking it's a fun thing to do," Meltzer said. "It's an extremely dangerous thing to do."

To highlight her point, she said that at 1:23 p.m., officers were alerted that four people were riding inflatable mattresses in the Pecos Wash. A police air unit tracked the group, which was stranded at Green Valley Parkway and Pecos Road. The four people were able to get out.

At 11:24 a.m., police were told a passer-by saw someone in a canal holding onto something at Eastern Avenue and Warm Springs Road. When officers and fire officials went there, nobody was found. The search was suspended, Meltzer said.

At 3:03 p.m., officers received a third report of a person who had fallen into a wash, on the 700 block of East Flamingo Road.

Patrol officers and fire department personnel responded, and the person was pulled out of the wash alive.

Meltzer said Mother Nature's fury made for a more than eventful day.

"These kind of days are very busy for us," she said.

Elsewhere in the Las Vegas Valley, the heavy rain closed some streets, and lightning caused delays at McCarran International Airport.

National Weather Service forecaster Chris Stumpf said more than 1½ inches of rain fell in a one-hour span in Hender­son.

Forecasters predict a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms this afternoon.

McCarran spokesman Chris Jones said aircraft fueling operations were suspended at times Wednesday because of lightning strikes in the area. No one was reported to have been hurt when lightning struck a Southwest Airlines plane at McCarran on Tuesday.

The Nevada Highway Patrol reported lots of crashes on Las Vegas-area roads and freeways but no serious injuries.

The Clark County Fire Department had 20 water rescue calls Wednesday involving people trapped in vehicles that had stalled in rising water. No injuries were reported.

Authorities reported about 11 a.m. that a panel truck had overturned at the southbound Interstate 15 exit to southbound U.S. Highway 95. The driver was pulled through the windshield but was OK, according to Las Vegas firefighters.

Officials with Henderson and Clark County reported numerous road closures caused by flooding.

The Clark County Shooting Complex and the Desert Rose Golf Course were closed because of flooding.

NV Energy reported 4,000 customers lost power for a time in northeast Las Vegas.

If rain continues today , National Weather Service Meteorologist Reid Wolcott said, the potential for more flooding is high.

"Because we are so wet already on the ground, there is nowhere else for that water to go," Reid said.

The area hit hardest by Wednesday's storms was in Henderson near U.S. 95 and the Las Vegas Beltway, which received nearly 2½ inches of rain.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact reporter Mike Blasky at mblasky@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0283. Contact reporter Antonio Planas at aplanas@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638.