A good outcome

Saturday, Jan. 26, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Area firefighters train constantly for the possibility of an urgent call from one of Las Vegas’ major hotels. On Friday morning they responded for real as flames spread along the roofline of the 32-story Monte Carlo on the Strip.

For people watching on TV — local stations and CNN began coverage almost immediately — the questions were: Are people in danger? How are firefighters going to handle this? They didn’t have to wait long for answers.

Firefighters quickly had the blaze contained and within an hour had extinguished it. Guests and employees had been efficiently evacuated. No one was killed and the few injuries that occurred during the evacuation were not serious.

Firefighters, police, ambulance crews, hotel employees and utility crews all performed well in carrying out their primary responsibility — protecting against loss of life.

We can all be thankful that there were no deaths or serious injuries. Nevertheless, answers to routine questions will be needed. Learning how the fire started and how quickly it spread will be instructive in guarding against future fires.

And surely there will be questions about the foam material used in building the hotel’s roofline facade. It burned rapidly and falling embers started exterior fires on lower floors and created hazards at street level. Should this experience lead to changes in the building code?

But for now we can all be relieved that the TV images Friday morning were not that of a national disaster, as happened on Nov. 21, 1980. That was the day the old MGM Grand caught fire. Eighty-seven people died and 700 were injured. The fire led to regulations requiring high-rise hotels in Nevada to be equipped with sprinklers and alarm systems.

Though Friday’s fire probably stirred memories of that day for many people, such fear was short-lived because the fire was contained quickly. A guest from Indiana staying on the 30th floor of the hotel told the Associated Press there was no panic during the evacuation, and another guest complimented the hotel staff for being so helpful as she made her way out.

A good outcome, by anyone’s measure.