MGM Grand Hotel Fire

MGM Grand Hotel Fire Writing In MGM Grand Hotel, most of the casino and arcade levels came equipped with an automatic sprinkler system. There were other areas, such as the main casino, deli, and coffee house, that were not protected with sprinklers. (Best & Demers, 1980) Furthermore, there were sprinklers present on the top most floors of the hotel, yet there were no sprinklers present on the majority of the floors that composed the hotel.

According to blueprints, the hotel building came equipped with standpipes so as to be connected to fire department equipment. There were additionally some hoses, protected by glass, in high traffic areas for guests. According to Best and Demers' report (1980), there were at least five hydrants in the immediate vicinity of the MGM Grand Hotel. The hotel's fire suppression systems extended further into the ventilation systems. Air was heated, cooled, and circulated by the hotel's heating ventilation and air conditioning system (HVAC).

Within the HVAC, fire dampers were present in places such as supply ducts and over areas where there was a great deal of circulation, such as above the casino. There were numerous AC, most of which came with fans. On the roof were more than a dozen exhaust fans that rotated continuously. Bathrooms within the guest rooms were stocked with small fans as well. Most of the manual fire alarms were in the guest areas.

There were no fire alarms present on the Arcade, Casino, or second floors of the hotel. (Best & Demers, 1980) The sprinklers, the ventilations systems, and manual fire alarms of the MGM Grand Hotel served as the primary fire suppression and detection system in the building's construction. The first people to notice and report signs of fire were employees. Employees close to the action indicated the smell and present of smoke in the deli.

(FEMA, 2010) More and more reports continue to contend there was a fire in the deli; it took several reports before the fire was actually confirmed. A chef, who was close to the fire, began to use a fire hose on it, when he was warned by another employee not to use water upon electrical fires. The deli area soon lost power and the fire spread for awhile without the greater areas of the hotel knowing, due to lack of alarms and lack of activated sprinklers.

Fire extinguishers and fire hoses were not easily accessible to those who were in proximity to the fire (employees). There was a great deal of smoke. Because of the lack of sufficient fire warning systems strategically placed throughout the hotel, a number of guests and employees were unaware there was a fire until there were blown back by the force of fire or suddenly incapacitated by smoke.

(Best & Demers, 1980) There was insufficient air circulation in key parts of the hotel, such as the largest/main areas, and in some cases where there was a lot of air circulation, this actually fed the fire and increased the intensity, especially in areas where the fire was on one side of HVAC; air pushing through the HVAC into the areas that fed into areas with flames, fed oxygen to the fire, causing more flames and more smoke.

(FEMA, 2010) In such areas, this is where the loss of life was the greatest, as a number of employees and guests were trapped or surrounded by flames. Many of the victims of the fire died due to excessive smoke inhalation. (Best & Demers, 1980) In summary, the fire spread due to build up of smoke, insufficient fire extinguishers, unprotected vertical openings, lack of smoke proofing, and.