SALON

Tuesday, Feb 5, 2013 7:45 PM UTC

Overheated motor prompted Vegas casino evacuation

By

Topics: From the Wires,

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Officials say an overheated ventilation motor in Las Vegas’ Excalibur casino caused a smoky smell and an evacuation in the wee hours of the morning.

MGM resorts spokesman Gordon Absher said hotel employees evacuated one of the Las Vegas Strip casino’s four towers after alarms went off around 2 a.m. Tuesday. Guests were allowed back in two hours later.

There was no actual fire, but the smoke smell spread because it started in the ventilation system, Absher said.

The smoke smell was drawn down from the roof and permeated three floors in one 1,000-room tower. The machinery was nearly fixed a few hours later.

Absher said the company regrets that guests were inconvenienced in the middle of the night.

“As far as compensation, we will handle this in the normal course of delivering our good customer service,” he said. “We’ll deal with this on a case by case basis.”

He added that Las Vegas casinos have some of the most advanced fire prevention systems in the world.

Las Vegas Strip hotels have adhered to strict fire codes enacted following two deadly high-rise hotel fires more than 30 years ago. The MGM Grand hotel blaze in November 1980 killed 87 people. An arson fire at the Las Vegas Hilton nearly three months later killed eight people.

Next Article

You Might Also Like

More Related Stories

Featured Slide Shows

Gripping photos: The people of the Turkey protests (slideshow)

close X
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11
  • The protests take on a festive element as police forces move out of the park and square. Wearing a gas mask, this young man dances to traditional Turkish music in front of Taksim Square’s Ataturk Monument.

  • In Gezi Park since March 31st, this protester, originally caught off-guard by the Government’s teargas and water cannons, went out and bought a Russian army mask from WWII, preparing for what was to come.

  • This rambunctious boy seems to be enjoying the chaos. After taking this picture he threw a stone at the already destroyed building in the background.

  • Forming a line, the police face off directly with protesters in Taksim Square. After a while, they retreated and there was a general cheer – a back-and-forth dance that has been common since the beginning of this protest.

  • An elderly woman in Gezi Park reads the news. The tent community occupying the park was violently destroyed on June 16th.

  • Many different groups had set up booths to promote their cause in Taksim Square and Gezi Park. Standing in front of one, this man waves his flag while posing with conviction.

  • Many home-remedies are used to minimize the effects of tear gas. This woman has put a milky solution on her face, removing her mask after the tear gas dissipated. Before sunrise, the police came again for another round of teargasing.

  • People capitalize on the uprising -- selling flags, beer, gas masks, sky lanterns and spray paint to name just a few of the popular items.

  • On Monday morning, June 11, the police execute a strong offensive. Many plain-clothed police officers, like the ones seen here, clash with protesters in the side streets away from the main stand-off in Taksim.

  • The authorities seem to be most aggressive in the night, pushing protesters away from the square and park. After being teargassed this young woman catches her breath with other protesters on Siraselviler Street.

  • Recent Slide Shows

  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11

Related Videos

More Related Stories

Comments

 0 Comments

Comment Preview

Your name will appear as username ( settings | log out )

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href=""> <b> <em> <strong> <i> <blockquote>

follow salon

Most Read

Popular on Reddit

links from salon.com

From Around the Web

Presented by Scribol
listener_new_rect The Listener: "We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves": Growing up primate

Recommendations