Four injured when vehicle explodes at Douglas County road construction site

UPDATE: A GoFundMe fundraiser has been established for the four families of the victims. The men are facing weeks, possibly months, at the UC Davis Burn Center and their families are left without the income from the dads, and facing extensive motel stays and travel. For more info, visit https://southtahoenow.com/story/10/04/2022/fundraiser-created-families-four-men-injured-douglas-coun....

UPDATE: East Fork Fire Protection District was dispatched to what was initially reported as a vehicle explosion on West Cottage Loop in the Gardnerville Ranchos community. While en route, it was reported that there were several victims impacted by the explosion and subsequent fire. Initial suppression and medical crews found a trailer-mounted crack sealing hot pot which had suffered a catastrophic failure. Four workers were injured. One worker was transported by ambulance to a waiting Careflight at Carson Valley Medical Center. The other three workers were transported by ground ambulance. All victims were transported to the Trauma Center at Renown Medical Center in Reno, all with burn-related injuries. The scene is still active with a joint investigation being conducted by the East Fork Fire Protection District, Douglas County Sheriff, Nevada State Fire Marshall and State OSHA. East Fork responded with two engines, three ambulances, and three fire officers.

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. - There was a vehicle explosion at a Gardnerville construction site on Tuesday, injuring four employees, one seriously.

At approximately 11:38 a.m., several employees were working on repairing the asphalt roadway on West Cottage Loop when the explosion occurred. Care Flight was called for the immediate transportation of one of the employees, and the others were taken to a local area hospital for medical treatment.

West Cottage Loop will be closed for an unknown period of time while East Fork Fire, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, and OSHA conduct an investigation into the cause of the accident. East Fork Fire and OSHA will be the primary agencies leading the investigation.

No information is being released at this time on the degree of injury or cause of the explosion.