The accident caused a 40-minute power outage for some nearby businesses. Two firefighters were knocked over by the blast and one suffered minor injuries.

Electricity surged through the metal crane and caused one tire on the crane to burn and a second one to explode. The fire started after the mobile crane hit a power line. The crane was being used to remove debris from an August 29th fire at the Vegas World Stratosphere Tower. Las Vegas Fire Department inspectors examining a crane that caught fire after hitting a power line on Sept. Officials were hoping to use the crane to help with cleanup. A giant crane being used for construction was found heavily damaged and non-operational. The fire burned itself out by sunrise and officials began their investigation. Dozens of businesses, motels and apartments were evacuated within a three to four block radius of the tower but fire officials did not order an evacuation of the Vegas World hotel adjacent to the tower because they thought the safest place for guests was inside the hotel. A series of explosions was heard over a several block radius, but reports differed whether the blasts occurred before or after the flames were spotted. The fire was reported not long after midnight after a police officer on a traffic stop looked up and saw flames ringing the top of the tower. The burned remains of scaffolding and other materials after a spectacular three-alarm fire at the Vegas World Stratosphere Tower project that could be seen for miles. The tower fire comes 19 years after another property owned by Vegas World and Stratosphere owner Bob Stupak was destroyed at the same location.

29, 1993, after a police officer on a traffic stop looked up and saw flames ringing the top of the tower. The fire was reported not long after midnight on Aug.

Stratosphere casino hotel tower