Introduction
One of the worst hotel fires in the history of US happened on 21st November 1980, when the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada, caught fire. The worst being the fire at Winecoff Hotel, in Atlanta, in 1946 which took 119 lives. The MGM Grand Hotel fire remains as one of the worst disasters in Nevada. As many as 85 people, including guests and hotel employees, were killed and 600 were injured in the fire.
The MGM Grand had a big Casino, bars, showrooms and hotels in its huge ground level complex. The hotel was a ‘T’ shaped high-rise building with more than 2,000 guestrooms, built in the 1970’s. The hotel was reported to have about 3,400 guests at the time of the accident. The fire is assumed to have started from a restaurant in the ground complex called the Deli. The reason was a faulty ground in the electrical system which caused a short circuit inside the walls in the Deli. The building lacked an automatic fire alarm and hence there was a delay in discovering the fire. The fire spread rapidly through the Casino. The alarm system to evacuate guests from the top floors did not sound. Although the Clark County Fire department was notified immediately, it took almost four hours to evacuate the guests from the high-rise building.
Casualties
According to the investigation report prepared by the National Fire Protection Association, USA, 85 lives were lost in the incident. Out of this, 61 bodies were found in the guest rooms and lobbies of the high-rise hotel building and 18 were found in the ground complex in and around the casino. At the time of the fire, approximately 5,000 people were in the hotel and casino. Fire and toxic smoke spread rapidly through the casino and the building. Carbon monoxide was the main cause as smoke rose up easily to the top floors. Many died due to asphyxiation and from major burns on the body surface and carbon monoxide inhalation. Some fire doors were locked trapping people inside the stairways. The victims included both guests as well as hotel employees. More than 600 people were injured and treated for toxic inhalation and extensive burns on the skin (Nevada).
Damages to property
Though the casualties were found mainly in the top floors of the high rise building, damages due to fire were more in the ground level and the Casino. The hotel lobbies and the casino had materials like PVC wire enclosures, wallpapers, plastic mirrors, light fixtures, plastic parts in elevators etc. which helped the fire to spread and produce toxic gases and debris. These caused major smoke damages to the upper floors of the hotel. The casino, the hall of fame, restaurants and escalators were the worst damaged parts in the building.
The Factors
Some major factors which caused the fire are lack of proper fire extinguishing units in the building; the vertical openings and enclosures were not of high standard and were unprotected. Smoke spread through the Heating Ventilating and Cooling (HVAC) equipment installed in the building. The large number of combustibles added intensity to the fire. The casino was not built to satisfy the life safety codes as they were not in effect in Clark County area at the time of construction. The casino and major parts of the restaurants and ground complex did not have fire sprinkler protection. Most deaths occurred in the stairwells. Most of the victims died from smoke inhalation, in their sleep.
The Aftermath
The Hotel was repaired and improved after the disaster. Fire sprinklers and an automatic fire alarm system were installed throughout the property. But, the scene immediately after the fire was gruesome. “The investigation determined that the rapid fire spread was due to a series of installation and building design flaws.” (Hotels and Motels). The lack of proper fire alarm and fire sprinklers added injury and fatalities.
After the fire, there were more public concerns to ensure the safety of life and property in High-rise buildings, hotels and casinos in US. The disaster led to the general publicizing of the fact that during a building fire, smoke inhalation is a more serious threat than the flames. The buildings constructed after the incident was strictly made to comply with the codes and fire safety standards. The presence of fire sprinklers was rare in Hotels before the incident. US fire department started ensuring sprinkler installations in all major hotels and lodges. Fire detectors and automatic fire alarms are now installed in all buildings after the incident. New designs are introduced to avoid fire accidents and built-in fire protections are being given to all buildings. These precautionary methods have reduced fire accidents in high-rise buildings and hotels to a great level. “NFPA statistics indicate that sprinklers have cut the chances of death by 91% in fire accidents” (Cote).
Works Cited
Cote, Arthur, E. Organizing for Fire and Rescue Services. Johns and Bartlett Publishers. 2003.
“Hotels and Motels: NFPA Remembers the 1980 MGM Grand Fire in Las Vegas.” NFAP Journal. NFPA: National Fire Protection Association: The Authority on Fire, Electrical. And Building Strategy. 2001. Web.
Nevada, Las Vegas. Investigation Report on the MGM Grand Hotel Fire. National Fire Protection Association. 1982.