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The Monte Carlo Casino and Resort, owned and managed by the MGM Mirage, caught on fire Friday, January 25, 2008. The Monte Carlo is located on the Las Vegas Strip, Nevada.
The fire has been contained, however, having erupted at 11 am Pacific Standard Time. The West Wing’s fire was contained nearly within a hour’s time, with all remaining branches of the fire being suppressed soon thereafter.
No reports of injuries are available at this time. The building(s) were evacuated, priority being on everyone cleared out of floor 15 and above immediately after the alarms were sounded. It was confirmed that the upper floors were clear within 30 minutes, and the rest of the hotel and casino were evacuated as well, leaving only the authorities to deal with the blaze. Guests were moved to other hotels located on the strip, but no neighboring businesses were evacuated.
According to the Associated Press, the fire sounded three alarms and originated from the center section on the outside of the hotel facing the strip. Media broadcasts were shown as officials speculated that the inferno began on the outside of the building, and moved inward, though the majority of the damage crawled along the façade relatively quickly.
At this point, sources say that the fire really only afftected the roof and the top two floors of the hotel, leaving most of the multi-million dollar casino and subsequent lodging facilities unharmed. A spokesman for MGM, Gordon Absher, confirmed their relief for that damage was minimum.
The Monte Carlo provides more than 3.000 hotel rooms to gambles and Las Vegas tourists, including singles to suites. The building also houses more than 100,000 square feet of Casino space. It opened in 1996 with a total reported cost of $344 million. 2004 completed a period of renovation for their hotel rooms, totaling in cost around $19 million. The Monte Carlo provides work for more than 3,000 employees.
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