HORACE LANGFORD JR. / PVT Smoke hangs over firefighters as they begin their attack. Advertisement

The Pahrump Stop, at Highway 160 and Mesquite Avenue, was engulfed in flames Friday at about 3 p.m.

Fortunately, the Pahrump Valley Fire Rescue Service arrived within four minutes and kept the flames from spreading to the bay of fuel pumps and a nearby mini-mall.

The ladder truck arrived shortly after an ambulance that also responded to the scene.

Fire Chief Scott Lewis said the cause of the fire was still being investigated by the state fire marshal and the fire department.

Everyone inside the building was evacuated before the firefighters arrived.

One store employee was injured by falling debris while evacuating the store, but Lewis said the injuries were non-life threatening and the employee refused medical service.

Due to a lack of fire hydrants in the area, the ladder truck had to wait for water tenders to arrive before extinguishing the flames.

The fire chief said in addition to the water tender, Pahrump Valley Disposal and other commercial services also had water tenders on the scene, helping to maintain a constant supply of water.

Lewis said the fire was under control by 3:32 p.m.

Additional rescue personnel helped to block the fuel bay and mini-mall from the flames while firefighters extinguished the flames using what Lewis called an "outside attack."

The fire chief said although initially firefighters attempted to fight the flames from within the building, structure failure ultimately forced them outside.

Although the flames were extinguished within half an hour, fire personnel remained on the scene until 9:30 p.m., cleaning the scene to make sure there was no more fire smoldering in the debris.