Monte Carlo Hotel Fire Causes Severe Damage

Damage to the roof of the popular Monte Carlo Hotel on the Strip in Las Vegas was extensive, but the real losses will come for every second the massive resort is shut down.

The three-alarm fire ignited at about 11 a.m. and quickly spread from the center, across the roofline with the building's sprinkler system stopping the blaze from spreading further.   Seven injuries were reported as people tried to escape. 

Firefighters had to climb 32 floors to fight the flames and authorities had to close the strip to allow emergency vehicles access.  It took firefighters about an hour to get the blaze under control.

As long as the majority of its rooms and its casino are reopened quickly, the Monte Carlo fire shouldn’t have a big economic impact on its owner, MGM Mirage, reports Jeff Simpson of the Las Vegas Sun.

But here is the kicker, according to Simpson:

If the entire property is closed for business, those annual numbers would translate into a revenue loss of $1.1 million per day, $$45,662 per hour, $761.04 per minute and $12.68 per second.

Simpson does point out that most of Monte Carlo’s 3,002 rooms will likely quickly reopen as will the casino’s gaming floor. Rooms and gaming are the big two revenue and cash flow drivers, so the economic impact should be relatively small, relatively quickly.

The top floor of the hotel, which opened in 1996, contains numerous luxury suites and penthouses as well as a private lounge for those guests. It was not clear how many guests were staying at the hotel when the fire started.  The floor below that one was also affected.

Fire officials said damage estimates were not yet available. The Monte Carlo will not reopen until after building and fire inspectors have reviewed the resort, whose guests were being put up at sister properties owned by casino-hotel operator MGM Mirage.

Larry Wappel, 25, of San Pierre, Ind., said he and his brother, Eric Wappel, were in a room on the 30th floor when they heard housekeeping staff banging on doors and yelling "Fire, get out!" He said it took about 10 minutes to walk single-file down the stairs to get to ground level.

"There were a couple of ladies crying, but it was pretty calm," he said.

Another guest, Renza Badilla, 45, said she exited through the hotel kitchen to find burning debris and embers falling from the roof.

"I think people were shocked when they saw the smoke," said Badilla, who said she was in the buffet on the main casino level when fire alarms sounded.

``Our firefighters had to hang out of the windows'' to put out the blaze, Steven Smith, Clark County fire chief, said in a televised interview. The cause of the fire, which was mostly confined to the exterior of the building, is under investigation. There was no immediate indication of arson, he said.

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Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher CCostigan@CostiganMedia.com

Originally published January 25, 2008 6:59 pm EST