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Here's what the government says happened:
Monte Carlo Fire Sparked Accidentally
Contractor Facing Possible Citation for Work Without Permit
The Friday fire at the Monte Carlo Resort & Casino was most likely caused by flying molten metal from a hand-held cutting torch, the Clark County Fire Department announced today.
At the time of the fire, workers on the roof of the hotel-casino were cutting corrugated steel products used for part of a walkway being installed on the interior of the protective wall along the perimeter of the roof, officials said.
“We believe this fire could have been prevented had appropriate steps been taken,” Chief Steve Smith said. “It appears that no slag mats were used to catch the molten metal and no fire watch had been posted. Additionally, the contractor responsible for the work on the roof did not obtain the necessary ‘hot works’ permit. We are now reviewing whether to cite the contractor.” Such citations are by law misdemeanors, punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and/or six months in jail.
County regulations require a contractor to obtain a hot works permit from the Fire Department when using a torch. A licensed contractor is responsible for knowing what permits are needed for a particular job and obtaining all necessary permits.
The pieces of molten metal, called “slag,” started the fire on the southwest corner of the main façade at the roof line. On-scene construction workers unsuccessfully attempted to extinguish the fire, which spread to the exterior architectural façade of the building. The fire, investigators said, was accidental.
Special agents with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) assisted the county Fire Department with the investigation. A complete report on the incident is still being finalized but officials said the cause will not change.
The contractor, Union Erectors Limited Liability Company, had a permit from the county Department of Development Services to install window-washing equipment at the hotel – but no hot works permit. In general, hot works areas should not contain combustibles or should be provided with appropriate shielding to prevent sparks, slag or heat from igniting exposed combustibles. Additionally, contractors performing hot work operations are to conduct hot works site inspections to ensure that there are no exposed combustibles on the opposite side of partitions, walls, ceilings and floors.
Around 11 a.m. Friday, Clark County firefighters responded to a fire at the Monte Carlo on the Las Vegas Strip. Most of it was contained to the façade on top of the 32-story resort.
-more-
In all, 35 fire suppression units, including about 120 personnel, from around the Las Vegas Valley responded to the fire. Firefighters from the cities of Henderson, North Las Vegas and Las Vegas also responded. The fire was knocked down at 12:15 p.m. that same day. No major injuries were reported.
“This fire showed the benefits of our fire-prevention and fire-suppression regulations,” Smith said. “When faced with a fire more than 400 feet above the ground, the fire resistant materials used in construction, fire suppression systems inside the building, and the swift and professional work of our firefighters quickly contained and extinguished the fire.”
Clark County is the entity responsible for providing fire protection on the Las Vegas Strip. If the unincorporated county were a city, it would be the largest in the state. The countywide population is 2 million, and 877,233 of them reside in the unincorporated county (841,352 of those in the 1,543-square-mile Las Vegas Valley) – compared to 603,093 for the city of Las Vegas, whose jurisdiction includes downtown.
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Typical cheap old technology. What about the Toxic fumes?
The Las Vegas building industry needs to move away from "Stick Building," and move into the 21st Century, like Dubai, and Europe.
"Lowest bid wins" mentality has to stop. You get what you pay for. NO? How many other Hotels use this toxic, flammable material?
We don't need another MGM catastrophe! Wake up!
Another hotel/casino chain, another renovation project without the required building permits and fire department permits. This time the unpermitted work didn't just create the risk of fire, it created a major fire.
I am profoundly troubled, no angry, on behalf of the County and City firemen and their families. It's as if the firemen's lives are expendable, as long as the hotel/casino customers are protected by sprinkler systems. Screw the firemen, just save the paying customers!
I get the strong impression that senior management employees of two major hotel/casino chains in this town are so arrogant that they feel the fire safety laws and building codes do not apply to them.
I am also disgusted at the minor "slap on the wrist" penalties under Nevada law for these intentional or grossly negligent violations of public safety laws. Waive a gun around on the floor of the casino (e.g. the nut at New York New York) and go to jail for many years. Wear a suit, violate a public safety law for the economic benefit of the same casino chain, and receive no punishment severe enough to deter future, similar drimes by casino executives.
I am also willing to bet a substantial amount of money that the workmen doing the metal cutting on the Monte Carlo roof did not speak English. I am also willing to bet that their foreman spoke English, but not very well. I am willing to bet that neither the workmen nor the foreman knew what the fire safety laws required.
I am also willing to bet a substantial amount of money that the contractor hired to do the work didn't care what the fire safety laws required, and that the contractor had little or no liability insurance commensurate with the level of risk to human life being created.
Those "economies" in hotel/casino operation (cheap workers, cheap supervisors, cheap contractors) are how the casino chains squeeze out the last nickle of net income. Hire immigrant labor who are clueless about the public safety laws governing their trade. Hire arrogant contractors and executives who know that there will be no meaningful criminal punishment for breaking public safety laws of paramount importance.
It's time for every fireman, every fireman's family, every policeman, and every policeman's family in Clark County to loudly say ENOUGH! Too many firemen and policemen died on 9/11. Our firemen and policemen should not be put at risk of death, in doing their jobs, because the hotel/casinos are too cheap to do the job right and because our politicians are too weak kneed to aggressively write and enforce public safety laws governing business operations.