Searchlight, Nevada - A Shell In A Desert Mining Town

We were heading into this small desert mining town, and were actually first drawn to a large cloud of smoke in their residential area. We saw what looked like the only police officer in town and one fire truck trying to deal with the house fire. In fact, it looked like the whole town came out of their homes to watch this house engulfed in smoke. It was an odd sight because it was almost as if we were witnessing the beginnings of an abandoned house! Shortly after that incident we found this house only a couple of blocks away from the fire, and we wondered if that is what happened to this house too. It makes us really wonder, in general, why these desert homes in the middle of town become abandoned. We think that the year-round dryness as well as the lack of natural resources gives way for abandonments. Do you think that abandoned places in the desert become abandoned for different reasons than other areas? Leave a comment…we would love to hear your thoughts!