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It's unclear when the Monte Carlo will reopen after a fire burned for an hour today atop the casino on the Las Vegas Strip.
”I can tell you that it won’t be tomorrow,” said Ron Lynn, the chief building inspector for Clark County.
The first alarm came at 11 a.m. as smoke rolled off the top of the building and flames licked the Monte Carlo sign. Smoke and fire poured from windows four floors from the top of the 32-story building.
Burning foam and a stiff breeze blowing smoke back into the building made it difficult to fight the fast-moving fire, said Capt. Warren Whitney of the Clark County Fire Department. Some firefighters had to hang out of windows to pour water on the fire above them.
It’s an unusual way to fight a fire,” Whitney said.
The 3,002-room hotel -- the 13th largest in Las Vegas -- was almost full and almost 1,000 workers were on during that shift. The hotel was evacuated as 200 security guards and hotel engineers knocked on every door and went into rooms if they didn't get a response, according to Gordon Absher, spokesman for MGM Mirage, which owns the Monte Carlo.
Five guests and eight hotel workers were treated for smoke inhalation.
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County Fire Chief Steve Smith said 120 firefighters used 35 pieces of apparatus to fight the blaze. The last smoke was seen coming from the hotel at 12:07 p.m.
Monte Carlo guests were directed to several nearby hotels. Several hundred Monte Carlo employees were fed at the MGM Grand Arena.
But at nearby casinos, patrons drank pina coladas and watched the blaze on the TV.
Metro Police closed Las Vegas Boulevard South and Frank Sinatra Drive for several hours. The only street that remained closed this evening was Monte Carlo Drive.
Monte Carlo Quick Facts
- Rooms: 3,002 (13th largest in Las Vegas)
- Casino sq. footage: 102,197 (18th largest in Las Vegas)
- Slot machines: 1,650
- Tables: 75
- Poker tables: 15
- Sports book sq. footage: 5,628
- Convention square footage: 23,000
- Parent company: MGM MIrage
- Year opened: 1996
- Branded restaurants: Diablo’s Cantina, Andre’s French Restaurant, Monte Carlo Brew Pub, Dragon Noodle, Market City Caffe
- Top exec: Anton Nikodemus, president
- Headliner: Magician Lance Burton
Some hotel guests complained that the fire alarm didn't go off until they already had seen the fire on television. The delay may have resulted because the fire apparently started outside on the roof and the smoke wasn't detected inside for a time, officials said.
Smoke triggers alarms only on the floor where it’s detected and the floors immediately above and immediately below. That’s why people in other parts of the hotel saw the fire on TV before they heard an alarm go off, Absher said.
When Anton Nikodemus, the president of the Monte Carlo, saw the fire on the roof from one of the towers, he ordered an immediate evacuation of the hotel, and had the alarms set off manually throughout the entire hotel, Absher said.
At a news conference this afternoon, Fire Chief Steve Smith praised the response: "There was no panic. I don't want to say it was normal operation, but this is what we train for. We practice highrise tactics."
He said they haven't determined how the fire started: "The investigation has not been completed, so nothing has been ruled out. We will first determine where the fire started, and then what caused it."
Both Whitney and Lynn said the fire didn't spread because all the safety systems worked.
Smith said the 1980 fire at the MGM Grand changed the safety standards along the Strip. "We have the best fire safety systems in the world in the resort corridor of Las Vegas."
MGM Mirage officials said the hotel would reopen tonight so guests could retrieve luggage left behind during the evacuation. Guests who were scheduled to stay at the Monte Carlo this weekend could stay at sister hotels, such as the MGM Grand, Mandalay Bary, Mirage and Treasure Island.
There was minimal damage, mostly from water, Lynn said.
The Monte Carlo was built in 1994 and was designed to meet the 1991 building codes, which allowed more foam than is permitted now. When the upper floors are rebuilt, they will have to meet today's standards, Lynn said.
His crew must sign off on the building’s structural integrity before the hotel can reopen. Lynn said it’s possible the casino may reopen before the rooms but he gave no timetable.
While the property is closed for business, the Monte Carlo could lose $1.1 million in revenue per day, according to an estimate by Sun business columnist Jeff Simpson.
Magician Lance Burton canceled this evening's performance at the Monte Carlo. Burton's gear wasn't harmed by the fire.
The fire caused traffic jams on the Strip and nearby I-15, according to Sun reporter Mike Trask, who was on the scene.
The Clark County Fire Department posted a "fire in building" bulletin just before 11 this morning for 3770 S. Las Vegas Blvd. on the department's emergency log. TV stations were already dispatched to the scene, with helicopters hovering, capturing smoke pouring from the upper floors. Fire officials said the 'copters were causing a downdraft and forced them away from the burning building.
— Contributors to this story included Sun staffers Abigail Goldman, Brian Eckhouse, Mary Manning, Mike Trask, Jeff Simpson, Rick Velotta, Jerry Fink, Barry Horstman and Dave Toplikar.
It "appears" the roof is on fire?
And why is Flamingo shut down? It's more than a half mile away.
They're evacuating a 3000 room casino - the pedestrian traffic alone is incredible, let alone the traffic from all the fire and paramedic crews. Of course there's going to be some road closures!
the roof, the roof, the roof is on fiyah
I don't believe it. Hope everyone's ok. I'm supposed to check in next Tuesday! I won't forget this holiday, thats for sure.
"Firefighters are responding to be a major fire at the Monte Carlo casino in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip."
Please re-read your lead. And get that Google map off. It's slowing my Web browser down.
That, by the way, was to your editors, Abby. You're doing a great job, especially considering this is the first time the Sun's Web site is doing something crazy like this.
I heard that the Bellagio and New New-New York were evacuated. At least that's what the national news is saying.
I agree, get that Google map down! It's causing an error on my browser.
12:05PM Channel 3 reports that the County Building Department has confirmed that the light chocolate colored facade on the top and upper decoration of the Monte Carlo is made of STYROFOAM COATED WITH A CONCRETE LIKE SUBSTANCE.
Anyone watching the fire could see the stuff melting and falling down onto lower floors, and lower light chocolate colored trim made of the same materials.
Any idiot knows that concrete retains heat, and that a light coating of concrete is not a good temperature insulator over toxic styrofoam.
So much for the Clark County Building Codes having been "upgraded for fire safety" after the 1980 MGM fire. It was styrofoam like substances in the MGM which made the toxic gases which killed the people in that fire.
The County Building Department allowing use of decorative styrofoam just adds to the bad impression created by lax building code/fire safety enforcement against Harrah's.
So, with respect to the fancy exterior decorations at the Bellagio, Venetian, Palazzo and Paris, are they concrete coated styrofoam too?
Hey Foam Nerd! How is it that you know so much?
On another note, your point was......? I'm gathering you don't approve of the Vegas code officials. Close?
I'll bet you sell products that compete with decorative styrofoam covered in concrete.
Or, Dookey, maybe he just saw the video of the burning siding of the casino melting onto the floors below and thought "Aren't they all built that way?"
Thank goodness this didn't happen a week from now.
Response to DookeyDokeyDoo:
I know that much because in my youth, I handled developers' appeals for variances of building codes and fire safety codes.
On the day of the MGM Grand fire in 1980 I was trying to get the L. A. City Building Department to give a Sheraton franchisee a variance on fire stair construction codes, to allow use of prefab metal stairs rather than concrete stairs. Needless to say, the Building Commission Members had been watching the fire on TV and said no to the variance request, because they were afraid the metal stairs would melt in a fire.
Frankly, I do not know of many cities or counties which allow facade decorations on commercial buildings to be built of any meltable materials.
My point is that the hotel/casino industry in Las Vegas always promotes itself as being "extremely fire safe" as a result of updated codes restricting use of highly flammable materials for building purposes.
At the same time, the hotel/casino industry uses it political and economic pressure on the County's building department to make that department totally laisse faire on obvious safety risks in choice of construction materials.
Witness the article on the front page of the LVRJ today, detailing the herculean efforts construction worker Fred Frazzetta had to make to get the County to investigate fire safety building code violations at multiple Harrah's casinos.
The Monte Carlo was built well after the MGM Grand fire. So were the Paris, Venetian, Bellagio, Palazzo, Caesar's new tower. They all have faux architectural decoration, inside and out, made of God knew what...until today. Synthetic materials containing styrofoam.
The bottom line is that public buildings should be built with fire proof materials, and decorated with fire proof materials....which the County's building officials, managers and Commissioners are too corrupt to require.
And no, I don't have any economic interest in any company which makes any building materials. I am retired and spend my time trying to hold public agencies and their employees responsible for reckless decision making that has the potential to cause physical harm to innocent members of the public.
I agree, drop the Google map - what purpose does it serve? It doesn't show the Monte Carlo in context to the Strip.
I hope this thread gets the attention of the news reporters. The issue of styrofoam backing that is obviously combustible is a national issue!!! Indeed international. I have always been concerned about these flimsy exterior materials in major buildings. The fact is they are cheap and now we know dangers.
Good work to CynicalObserver for pointing this out I have been doing extensive searches on this story precisely because the issue of exterior skin catching fire was not mentioned in any news story.
There will always be a spark in any building that "causes" a fire. The main issue for fire safety is to make sure the fire has no opportunity to spread. This fire spread on the side of the building!!!
Please Sun get a story on this..the world needs to know this. I am a real estate developer that never uses dryvit/styrofoam for any building.
You can email me for comment rickbalin@yahoo.com
Two follow up notes:
The above post refers to a "light concrete" coating. It is not light concrete it is synthetic stucco commonly known as dryvit. It has a very controversial history.
Also the above post seems to suggest that only in Vegas is the use of styrofoam permitted. Sadly it is used throughout the United States and abroad. So this really is an international issue.
Let's give credit to the Security Officers at the MC and the hotel staff that did a great job of evacuating the guests with no major injuries. As an ex-MC Security officer, I worked on the swing shift under Anthony Barone, I know that is part of the training and emergency plans are well thought out and the guys and gals @ the MC know their jobs very well. Great Job!!!
Do they have any smoking rooms available?
The plural of "person" is "people," you morons. Some first impression you make on us out-of-towners, putting a line like that in your lead.
Before casting aspersions News Junkie, you should know that "persons" is an acceptable plural of people.
Excuse me, an acceptable plural of person.
***
What point is having the 'best fire systems in the world' if your buildings are covered in styrofoam?
It looks like the guy that designed that firetrap is probably the same guy responsible for all those 1970's Irwin Allen disaster movies. LOL!
***
I am just happy no one was really hurt... But I am sorry Lance had to cancel his shows he is so good. I do hope the Monte Carlo will be repaired to it's fullest soon. And Lance can get back to his show, and the hotel and casino can get back to business, big money is at a lost. But these repairs need to be done.
I JUST WANT MY LUGGAGE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'M GLAD NOBODY WAS HURT IN THE MONTE CARLO HOTEL FIRE, SUCH A LOVELY HOTEL.
MY PROBLEM IS I'M GETTING MARRIED IN THAT HOTEL IN MARCH, SO UNSURE WHAT TO DO AS THERE ISN'T A DATE SET FOR REOPENING AND EVEN IF THE CHAPEL IS ABLE TO OPEN.