On Wednesday, July 15, 2009 at 14:08, the Bullhead City Fire Department Hazardous Materials Team was requested to assist the Clark County Fire Department with unknown material leaking from a 53 foot enclosed trailer. Assistant Fire Chief and Lead Hazardous Materials Technician Joe Anderson responded with four additional technicians, the Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Trailer to Laughlin. Due to the temperatures of over 110 degrees, Chief Anderson called for additional assistance from the Fort Mojave Mesa Fire Department and the Mohave Valley Fire Department. Each department dispatched two additional technicians. Upon arrival Technicians donned proper Protective Suits to examine the leak. A lock on the rear of the trailer was cut to gain access. The trailer was caring many large drums of hazardous materials. Technicians observed the leaking drum. There were drums and large boxes that would need to be removed to gain access to the leaking drum. A call was place to Don Laughlin’s Riverside Resort to obtain if a fork lift was available to assist with the removing some of the non-comprised drums and boxes from the trailer. The Riverside made arrangements and within fifteen minutes a fork lift arrived The fork lift removed boxes that allowed space in the trailer to access the leaking drum. Much of the liquid was pumped into a safe empty drum supplied by the hazardous materials team. The leaking drum was then placed into a larger safe drum also supplied by the hazardous materials team. At this time the scene was determined to be safe. Clark County Fire Department would remain on scene and await the arrival of H2O. H2O is a hazardous materials clean up company from Las Vegas. The company was expected to arrive at approximately 20:00. They will take control of the hazardous materials in the two drums. The material was determined to be corrosive waste water. Used to rinse acid from other materials. The material was placed in a metal drum. It should have been placed in a lined drum or plastic drum. It is believed the drum leaks over 30 gallons through the drum and trough the trailer floor. The tractor that would tow the trailer was in Kingman. The Nevada Highway Patrol was also on scene the entire time and had made contact with the driver.
