Ramtech’s Content Marketing Manager Jon Bennett looks at how safety protection has evolved over time. In this series, Jon looks back 41 years to an infamous fire in Las Vegas. Would or could this disaster still happen now?
Background
It’s a Friday morning in November 1980 at the MGM Grand hotel and casino in Las Vegas. No doubt it was a busy time, especially heading into the weekend. In fact, there were around 5,000 people on site that morning, across the casino, entertainment, and dining areas. There are circa 2,000 hotel rooms.
It starts in The Deli
Just after 7 in the morning, a fire was discovered in a restaurant within the complex known as The Deli. A tile crew was undertaking an inspection of the restaurant and noticed a flicker of light, which turned out to be the fire. It was ultimately caused by an electrical ground fault inside a wall-mounted electrical receptacle.
Employees also noted at around the same time that smoke was coming from ceiling vents. Security was advised, who then contacted the fire department. Under 20 minutes from the fire first being noticed, the Clark County Fire Department was onsite. This was followed by various helicopters (who started rooftop evacuations) and other fire crews.
Cause of fire
Fuelled by flammable materials, once the fire had entered the lobby it continued into the casino at a reported 13mph
Initially, the fire spread rapidly. Fuelled by flammable materials such as wallpaper, glue, PVC piping, and plastic mirrors, once the fire had entered the lobby it continued into the casino at a reported 13mph. This resulted in a huge fireball bursting through the main entrance close to the famous Las Vegas Strip.
This whole event was very rapid, and it seems to have claimed the first victims when 18 people were killed on the casino level. The fire never actually spread beyond the casino's second floor so why did the incident claim a total of 85 lives?
Toxic atmosphere
The flammable material mentioned earlier when alight created toxic fumes and smoke. Unfortunately, this spread through the complex into the hotel easily thanks to vertical shafts such as stairways and elevators. This widespread flow of toxic air would end up causing the majority of the deaths.
Guests tried to evacuate, but some were unable to get out quickly enough due to the elevators not automatically returning to the main floor. 10 people died in one of these elevators. Some people even escaped by hanging bedsheets out of their windows to reach lower floors.
Impact of toxic fumes
Some people who were trapped in their rooms broke open the windows to get fresh air, only for thick smoke from outside to pool into their rooms, making the situation worse. A few even managed to escape via a scaffolding platform.
A total of 78 guests and 7 employees died due to the incident. 650 suffered injuries, including 14 firefighters. 61 deaths happened on the 19th-24th floor, emphasizing the impact of the toxic fumes. Following the disaster, there was a campaign to promote the fact that during a building fire, inhaling smoke is a more serious threat than flames.
Would it happen now?
Specifically, the cause of the fire was electrical and related to a display case in The Deli restaurant
Specifically, the cause of the fire was electrical and related to a display case in The Deli restaurant. This display case was added after the building of the hotel and without going into technical details, the vibration of an internal fan in the display case was also a factor as the wiring became ungrounded after plastic insulation eventually corroded.
This eventually caused heat to build and the connections to the arc, which ignited the fire. Initially, it is suspected that the fire smoldered for several hours until fresh oxygen fed it and it spread rapidly.
Lack of fire sprinklers
Modern display cases featured different, safer equipment so although fire is still possible of course, it’s likely in current times the technology would be such that a similar incident would never happen. Once the fire has developed into the casino areas, there was a lack of sprinklers, which didn’t help the situation.
Due to rules at the time, these areas didn’t have to have a sprinkler system. As they were occupied 24 hours a day, it was thought that any fire would be taken out by people using fire extinguishers, although this opinion had opposition. Due to cost, only a minimal amount of sprinklers were installed across the complex.
New fire safety rules
Less than 100 days after the MGM Grand fire, a fire broke out at the Las Vegas Hilton hotel, killing 8 people
Within a week of the disaster, the local Governor formed a commission to determine whether older hotels in Nevada state should work to newer fire safety rules.
However, less than 100 days after the MGM Grand fire, a fire broke out at the Las Vegas Hilton hotel, killing 8 people. These two incidents sped things along, leading to a major reformation of fire safety guidelines and codes. There were, after all, several failings noted to evacuation procedures and fire crew knowledge.
fire sprinklers, and smoke detectors
Later in 1981, all public-use buildings in Nevada were required to have fire sprinklers, and smoke detectors in rooms and elevators, with exit maps in all hotel rooms. It took several years for all complexes of this type to conform, however, as it took time to specify.
The reality is that even in 2021, a fire is still possible. But the chances of it spreading are drastically reduced due to a mix of increased safety requirements and advances in technology. For example, even if a wired fire alarm is undergoing refurbishment, temporary solutions such as WES can ensure 24/7 early warning of potential fires.