MGM Hotel Fire

MGM Hotel Fire November 21st 1980 marks one of the worst hotel fires in U.S. history. Today the MGM Grand fire is number 17 on the list of most deadly building fires of all time ( ). The incident was horrific and could have been easily contained if early detection devices, and fire suppression systems were already in place as firefighters had mentioned to the ariteches before construction was complete: also if the construction of electrical components were properly installed. Many lives were lost subsequently due to this fire but important requirements for hotels did come to fruition because of this horrific incident. Which certainly makes this day significant, and marked Nevada as a leader in fire safety regulations and codes. On

It's likely that if there were sprinklers installed in the restaurant that is as far as the fire would have gone. But this was not the case. The fire spread upward and out from the upper wall of the side stand. Combustibles that were in the area in contact became preheated. These combustibles continued to ignite and propagate throughout The Deli. The flames overcame the gypsum wall boards and acoustic tile that covered the ceiling as well as the wood veneer paneling and wall coverings which layered over the metal stud construction of the walls. There was furniture in the Deli constructed of wood but covered with polyurethane material, polyvinyl plastic and other highly volatile materials. These materials emitted large amounts of heat as well as concentrations of carbon and other products found in combustion and smoke clouds. Furniture constructed of these materials was common through the entire casino area. There of course was also tons of slot machines too. They were mostly constructed of metal but had numerous plastic components. The casino also used a money exchange system that consisted of plastic coins so the machines were filled with these coins. The complete combination of all these combustibles constituted and developed flame spread throughout these areas. The fire also broke through the ceiling of The Deli into the plenum. Which was a gigantic air return that continued over the casino area and the entire hotel. The total footage was approximately 1,300,00 square feet. That is the entire length and width of the hotel and casino.This plenum fed into many air handling system. As the fire progressed at ceiling level vast amounts of toxic black smoke was produced. It is believed by the Officers reporting that the phenomenon known as flashover occured at this time. The fire spread vertically as well as horizontally into the casino. Eventually spreading downward to preheat and consume all the