A plane crashed in Echo Canyon on Saturday afternoon. According to the FAA, a Piper Cherokee with four people on board left North Las Vegas around 3 p.m. for Byron, California when it hit power lines and crashed.
There were no survivors. The pilot was Erik Nunn. He was running for office in Contra Costa county in California. He was on board with his wife Tanya and their neighbors, Michele and Craig Wilson. Nunn had been licensed to fly for about two years.
The pilot's brother, Jason Nunn, said the two couples were celebrating anniversaries and wanted to celebrate them together in Las Vegas. The family became worried when neither couple called to check in. The plane was owned by Erik Nunn's boss, who runs a construction company.
The Nunns leave behind four kids, between the ages of 3 and 9-years-old. The Wilsons leave behind three kids, ages 3 to 14.
The crash started a wildfire that covered 12 acres in the Echo Canyon area. The flames were threatening about 38 homes in that area, but they are now out of danger.
Residents who live in the Echo Canyon area were given a mandatory evacuation order Saturday night because officials believed about 38 homes could be in danger. Evacuees were allowed to return Sunday evening.
State Route 157 finally reopened late Sunday, though a small portion of Echo Road remains closed by the National Transportation Safety Board as it continues to investigate the accident scene.
"Just the proximity of the fire with the lives and the residences, we want to make sure that this fire does not have an opportunity to start back up with a wind storm. So we will make sure that it is 100-percent out before we leave," said Stephanie Phillips of the U.S. Forest Service.
Power was out in some areas, but it has now been restored.
It was a rush to the mountain top Saturday. Emergency responders trying to bring the raging flames under control. The rugged landscaping made the inferno too hard to fight from the ground alone. Helicopters attacked the blaze from up high and dropped fire retardant to smother the flames.
The mountain went up in flames when a small plane crashed into it.
"The plane came down very low through the Echo Canyon residential area and topped off power poles and dropping power lines," said Scott Allison of the Clark County Fire department.
Dozens of homes were left in the dark, and the owners forced to look at the glowing flames.
The FAA says all four people on board were killed.
Russell Hayden was celebrating his father's 80th birthday Saturday when they suddenly heard the loud roar. He says that plane came very close to their home -- about 25 feet away before crashing nearby. They rushed there hoping to help, but sadly they could not.
Worries that the wind would fan the fires' fury, residents were forced to leave the mountain and their homes. Fortunately for the crews fighting the flames, the winds worked in their favor, pushing the fires away from their homes.
Clark County has officially turned the fire over to the U.S. Forestry Division. As of Sunday evening, officials said the fire's about 85-percent contained. They hope to get it out by 6 p.m. Monday, but all of that will depend on if the winds continue to cooperate.
The investigation by the NTSB is just beginning. In the coming days, there will be a lot of activity on Mt. Charleston as investigators try to piece everything together.
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