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Jet fuel tank hit by Las Vegas shooter's gunfire

Jet fuel tank hit by Las Vegas shooter's gunfire
Posted at 9:08 PM, Oct 04, 2017
and last updated 2017-10-05 20:37:29-04

UPDATED STORY

Clark County Department of Aviation officials said Thursday that a jet fuel tank struck by bullets during Sunday night's shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival did not pose a threat to safety.

"Contrary to speculation, there is almost zero likelihood gunfire damage could trigger a fire or explosion at a commercial fuel storage facility. Likewise, in the event of an actual, uncontained tank fire, these systems are engineered to vent flames upward into the air rather than explode," officials stated in a release.

Officials said two rifle rounds struck a 43,000-barrel tank on the airport's western perimeter. One road penetrated the tank, which was partially filled with fuel. A second round was found lodged within the same tank but did not penetrate.

Experts found no evidence of smoke or fire, officials said. The airport’s fueling system remains unaffected and air travel times will not be impacted while the tank is out of use.

ORIGINAL STORY

A law enforcement source has confirmed to ABC News that gunfire from Sunday's shooting at Mandalay Bay Hotel struck aviation fuel tanks near the site of the Route 91 music festival.

The fuel tanks were in the line of sight during Stephen Paddock's attack on concert-goers, though the source added there's no evidence to suggest the tanks were specifically targeted.

While the tanks were hit, they were not penetrated, the source added.

The tanks hit by gunfire are positioned just beyond the Route 91 event area, near E. Mandalay Bay Rd. and Haven Street.

Paddock fired upon the crowd at the music festival for about 10 minutes, killing 58 people and injured hundreds more.

While the shooting lasted 10 minutes, tt took about 75 minutes from first shot until Paddock was found dead in his hotel room by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police officers.

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