2 rescued after storm strikes downtown Las Vegas — PHOTOS
Two people were rescued in downtown Las Vegas on Thursday after they became trapped in a flood channel, according to fire officials.
The call came just before 3:50 p.m. Thursday when someone reported to Las Vegas Fire & Rescue that two people were “yelling for help” from inside the flood channels near Symphony Park Avenue and Grand Central Parkway, just west of the Fremont Street Experience.
Fire Battalion Chief Ken Kreutzer said the pair were homeless and likely living in the nearby tunnel system. He said they refused medical treatment after being rescued.
Rains from the past few days, including on Thursday, led to the tunnel areas being flooded.
“They were just in a bad spot,” Kreutzer said. “Those are the hazards of living in the tunnels in Vegas during monsoon season.”
According to a release from the fire department, first responders were able to get to the area about five minutes after the call went out. Both victims were rescued just before 5 p.m.
Ewing Bros. assisted the operation by lifting a flood channel grate with one of its rotating tow trucks to allow for the rescue.
“It was a total team effort,” Kreutzer said. “I would just say to anybody that if it looks like there’s a chance for rain, please don’t hang out in the underground tunnels. The water rises quickly and not necessarily in the area where it rains.”
Stormy week
On Thursday, for the third consecutive day, parts of Las Vegas saw some thunderstorms. The east and central valleys, including Henderson, were under a severe thunderstorm warning until 4 p.m. At one point in the afternoon, about 5,000 customers lost power, NVEnergy said on its website. Most of the outages were in the central and southeast areas. Also, some arriving and departing flights were affected at Harry Reid International Airport.
On Wednesday, parts of the valley saw some light showers, one day after strong winds from a dust storm and thunderstorms left thousands of residents without power.
2025 rain events
June 5: In a rare event for June, showers caused some disruptions across the valley.
May 6: An “exceptionally rare” May storm shattered rain records.
March 17: Strong winds and a few showers swept through the valley on St. Patrick’s Day.
March 5: A Pacific storm brought light rain to parts of the valley. The nearby mountains saw snow.
Contact Bryan Horwath at bhorwath@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BryanHorwath on X.
