Las Vegas History Week: MGM Grand Fire

by Bodog Casino | Jul 23 2010

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Although Las Vegas, Nevada has a past of prostitution, Ace Rothstein and mob hits, when it comes to death in the city it's really not as bad as the CSI makes it out to be.

Vegas, especially since the 60s, could be the second-happiest place on earth -- until you lose all your money that is.

However, there's one accident in Vegas' lifespan that claimed a healthy death toll, becoming the worst disaster in Vegas history, the MGM Grand fire.

It all went down on November 21, 1980. The MGM Grand Hotel, what is now Bally's Las Vegas had a horrible fire that racked up a death toll of 85 people. Most died because of severe smoke inhalation.

But how did it happen? Bad wiring, bad safety measures mixed with pure chance.

Inside the casino was a wall soffit that powered a refrigerator unit for a cabinet in the casino's deli. Vibrations from the machine caused wires to rub against each other and the constant friction actually sparked the flame.

Fed by wallpaper, glue, and plastic mirrors flames raced through the hotel like a scene out of "Backdraft: until a huge fireball came flying out the main entrance. Most of people were killed toxic fumes created by the burning material.

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But how come the ventilation system didn't help? Unfortunately, the casino's smoke dampers in the casino were faulty and actually helped the toxic fumes spread throughout the casino, many dying from the poisonous air in their sleep.

Another issue was that the casino and restaurant portion of the casino weren't even protected by sprinklers! Fire sprinklers weren't required in areas that were occupied 24 hours a day, we guess they thought people would notice and take the necessary actions if fire extinguishers were provided. Unfortunately, the area that sparked the fire had ceased 24-hour operation and the fire was only noticed hours after it had already begun.

The fire stands as third-worst in U.S. history, the only good to come of it is that upgrades were made to many Vegas venues -- such as better filtration systems and sprinklers everywhere -- to ensure a disaster like that never happens again.

The section where 85 people died is actually still a part of the renamed MGM. But if we were you, we'd pick another floor to grab a room. In fact, we'd rather stay in a motel than go anywhere near a casino that housed the worst disaster in Vegas history.<br/><br/>