Guests and Gamblers Flee From Las Vegas Hotel Fire

Jan 26, 04:15 PM

It sent a plume of smoke from the Monte Carlo Hotel above the Las Vegas Strip before easing about an hour later, hotel officials said.

No major injuries were reported, said Clark County spokesman Eric Pappa.

The fire, which was reported around 11am local time (7pm UK time), halted gambling at the casino as it spread from the centre of the building across the roof.

Fiery debris fell to the street below, and orange flames lapped at the casino's sign.

Officials went door to door evacuating the hotel, said Gordon Absher, a spokesman for the resort's owner, MGM Mirage.

Larry Wappel, 25, of San Pierre, Indiana, 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," Ms Badilla said.

Investigators were trying to determine whether the fire had simply burned the resort's facade or penetrated rooms in the upper floors, which contain suites.

(c) 2008 Daily Post; Liverpool. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved. Guests and Gamblers Flee From Las Vegas Hotel Fire
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