Mysterious Foam Blob Bubbling Onto Las Vegas Street Identified

A white foam blob bubbled up from a storm drain and spread onto a street near homes in Las Vegas Monday. Tuesday, the crews knew what it was and began dealing with the disturbing mass.

It turns out that organic material and flame retardant, which was spread over a wildfire last month, mixed in the storm water system to create the foam, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Foam, identified as a churned up fire retardant, oozed out of a storm drain in Las Vegas after strong rains. (Image via KLAS-TV video screenshot)

Dennis Campbell, environmental health manager for the Southern Nevada Health District, told the newspaper it was similar to a sea-like foam and is non-toxic. Still, they are "[telling] people to avoid contact with it because we don’t know what it may have picked up," Campbell said.

Tuesday, crews arrived on the street with equipment to vacuum up the foam, which had spread down the street about 60 feet and blocked two traffic lanes.

Strong rain and recent flooding over the weekend is what churned up the foam. City Councilman Steve Ross told KLAS-TV, the foam was created through a "washing machine effect."

Watch this report with footage of the foam courtesy of the Las Vegas Review-Journal:

Earlier this year, miles of brown foam were seen on the Lake Mead reservoir.

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