By JR Mari
Las Vegas Bureau
HENDERSON, NV (Eagle News) — An explosion ripped through the TIMET facility a little after eight in the morning, injuring two persons.
The building is located on the 100 block of N. Water St., in Henderson, Nevada, less than 20 miles southeast of the famous Las Vegas Strip.
Clark County Spokesperson, Chris Erickson, posted on social media website Nextdoor.com that the Henderson Fire Department responded to the blast, which did not result in a fire.
Two people sustained minor injuries without the need of hospitalization.
The explosion released a cloud of smoke from molten material at the building that handles magnesium recycling for titanium production, used in applications such as airplanes.
The explosion rattled windows of nearby homes and buildings as close as 300 yards away, and reports of the loud blast was heard by residents at least ten miles away.
“It was loud, but it caused minimal damage,” said TIMET’s spokesperson, David Dugan. TIMET will investigate the explosion.
This is not the first time an incident has happened at the TIMET facility.
The Las Vegas Review Journal reported TIMET’s track record. In 2012, TIMET had accidentally released chlorine into the air for a few hours, and failed to report it immediately to the EPA, resulting in a $500,000 penalty.
The journal further reported that in 2014, TIMET paid a $13.4 million penalty for improper disposal of cancer-causing PCB at this location; in 1999 they settled a $430,000 lawsuit filed against them for violating the federal Clean Air Act by exceeding sulfur dioxide emissions; and in 1996, the facility accidentally released chlorine gas into the air multiple times, causing at least ten students at a nearby middle school to become sick.
