Reno to beef up fire codes after casino fire

Saturday, Oct. 4, 1997 | 9:11 a.m.

The Tuesday night blaze caused about $200,000 in damages to new exterior decorations at the Eldorado. No one was injured and the fire didn't spread to the resort's interior.

Reno's regulations cover main casino walls but don't deal with facades, which can be constructed of a variety of materials.

Clark County codes regulate southern Nevada's casino facades, most of which are made from plaster.

"We want to look at the facade material and installation, and see if we can make some improvements there," Reno fire marshal Larry Farr told the Reno Gazette-Journal.

"Any time we have an incident, we review sections of the code. Technology moves so fast. It's hard for us to keep up with it. We update our codes every three years. By then, there are new products on the market."

It would be several months before a decision is made about Reno's code, he said.

The Roman-style columns and other fixtures burned in the 40-minute fire on the casino's south side included polyurethane foam ignited by a short in the electrical system.

Eldorado president Don Carano said the foam would be replaced with non-flammable material.

"It's not going to be that (foam)," he said. "There are some real questions involved in this."

The fire started near a marquee advertising the musical, "Smokey Joe's Cafe," which has an indefinite run at the resort.

Flames shot 50 feet in the air and a huge smoke plume could be seen for miles.