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Firefighters Battle Blaze in Las Vegas Casino
Aired January 25, 2008 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: It is 3:00 Eastern time. You're watching the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Don Lemon, here with Kyra Phillips.
You're looking at breaking news, a fire at the Monte Carlo Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And I can tell you that I'm getting word now through one of my sources there in the fire department, as you can see by the white smoke, that means this active fire is almost out. That's the good news.
But it started about an hour ago, firefighters on the roof, working flames across the facade of the Monte Carlo Casino. It's in the south tower of the roof. Still don't know if the fire reached inside those penthouses or those rooms, but it did start taking apart the facade on the top level of this casino. Fire debris worked its way down you can see about three or four floors.
But right now firefighters there working those flames, saying that white smoke means this fire is almost out. No injuries reported at this time.
LEMON: And we learned just moments ago that there are no injuries reported. The whole entire hotel and casino, we're told, has been evacuated. Multiple units of course on the scene there.
Getting word from our producers are our photographers from CNN who are on the scene saying it appears that everything is orderly, although there is tons of traffic there. Traffic is backed up.
Just moments ago, if you had been tuning in, you would have seen fire billowing out the roof of this hotel. And, as Kyra said, now you're only seeing smoke, which means that firefighters have knocked this fire down as much as they have to this point.
That smoke is not billowing out, and fire not billowing out the roof of this hotel and the top floor, as it had been only just moments ago.
PHILLIPS: That white smoke good news, meaning it's almost out, the fire under control. You just see a little bit of the flames. It looks like it's just going to be hard for the casino because of the amount of money in damage there, since they recently remodeled.
Also one of our affiliates, the chopper reporter, saw a young bride in her wedding dress running out while evacuating from that hotel. So at least one tough day for a new bride. Hopefully, that's no indication on how that marriage is going to go. Maybe we can follow up with them.
But the good news is that this fire looks like it is now under control. Just a little bit of flames there as firefighters are working it from behind that facade, a facade of stucco and foam. That's what kind of created that trail of the blazes. Still don't know how it started. There are heating ducts up there.
That could be a possibility, but we're still trying to get the details on how it started and if indeed it made it inside that casino.
LEMON: Yes.
And it's usually the case. And, again, as I said earlier, don't want to speculate, but when there's a fire so close to the roof, usually, it has something to do with the air-conditioning or heating system.
And just to give the viewers an idea about this hotel, it's owned by the MGM Grand, actually a joint venture between MGM Grand and the Circus Circus Enterprises and the Mirage Resorts, I should say. Grand opening, June 21, 1996. Just want to make sure I got that correct. A joint venture between Circus Circus Enterprises and Mirage Resorts.
It was modeled after a famous Place du Casino in Monte Carlo, Monaco. It covers about 90,00 feet, 2,200 slot machines, 95 tables. This top floor is the top tier of gambling and betting. People who go there who are heavy rollers and frequent visitors to the hotel will stay on this top floor. You need a card key to get in.
So if that's happening on the top floor, that's sort of the epicenter of this fire. About 3,200 rooms in this hotel. It was built for sort of a mid-range sort of gambler, a person who might go and who wanted to go to Las Vegas and can't afford necessarily the expensive hotels, like the Bellagio and others, where you, you know, need a ton of money to stay there.
PHILLIPS: Well, and getting some new information here. Apparently according to one of the affiliates, you were listening to the live coverage of one affiliates, saying that workers might be trapped inside.
Now the chief clerk at the front desk, that works at the front desk of the Tropicana say apparently there are some still employees trapped inside. Now we are getting two reports of that, possibly some employees trapped inside, possibly some employee trapped on the roof. We're not sure. We can't confirm that, but we're getting this information from some folks that work right there inside the hotel system.
We're told the streets are flooded with people right now and the police have barricaded the area around the Monte Carlo. There's no traffic that can come in and out from Tropicana Boulevard to Flamingo Boulevard. That has all been shut down. They're only letting emergency vehicles in from that point.
But we are getting now word from the fire department and other hotels that the Monte Carlo has been completely evacuated. But possibly there might be some employees that are trapped inside. They wouldn't be trapped on the roof necessarily, because there are firefighters up there on the roof working those blazes. Still trying to confirm if there's some workers inside those rooms.
But right now, you can see the white smoke. That means this fire is definitely under control, almost out. You see a little bit of flames there on the edge of that facade as it caught fire along the top of that roof.
LEMON: But until it is completely out, we're getting some military response from this.
And as I understand, Barbara Starr, our Pentagon correspondent, an Air Force base has been put on standby?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Yes, eight miles northeast of downtown Las Vegas, and as a precautionary measure, when they saw this fire erupt, they put four of their helicopter crews on standby, according to a base spokesman we have just spoken to.
These are HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters. They carry what the Air Force calls pararescue men. These would be very specially trained Air Force crews on helicopters that could be lowered down onto the roof, onto the upper floors if, in fact, and we do not know obviously for sure whether there are any people trapped in this situation. The Air Force has a good deal of expertise in doing this.
There are four crews now on standby as we speak at Nellis Air Force base. The city has not asked for them yet, we are told. And by all accounts, it does look, thankfully, like much of this fire is coming under control. But these Air Force crews do remain on standby. Nellis Air Force base, we have learned, has a mutual assistance pact if you will with the city of Las Vegas for first-responder assistance in an emergency, just such as this.
Their flight time to downtown Las Vegas is just minutes. So, when they saw the TV reports, the commander put his crews on standby. They're waiting to see if, in fact, they get a request from the city. They will move very quickly. If not, they're just on standby in case they're needed -- Don.
LEMON: Hey, Barbara, just for a layman here, explain to our viewers just how might they help out. Would it be with removing people? Would it be on the ground helping with rescues? How might they help out?
STARR: Well, the most likely scenario, these are four helicopters on standby. They have crews on board that, in their combat work, frankly, they are lowered with to the ground, into a combat zone from a helicopter, to rescue trapped soldiers or trapped military personnel.
In this case if they were needed, they would make that very quick flight, hover over the hotel, lower some of these Air Force-trained pararescue men into the situation, and they would be able to do everything they could to rescue anyone who was either trapped on the roof, trapped in some of those upper floors, that firefighters might not be able to get to.
We should emphasize, I think we must say, again, we don't really know at this point, as I understand it, whether there are any trapped personnel. And, of course, the U.S. military would only go into a situation if the civilian authorities asked for their help. But that's how it would work. They would fly their helicopters, be over the hotel, lower their personnel by ropes into the situation. And they would assist in rescuing anybody they could, very much like what we saw obviously, Don, in Hurricane Katrina, when helicopters flew overhead, Coast Guard, Navy, Air Force helicopters, and lowered their rescue personnel to get people trapped on roofs, same type of situation.
LEMON: And, Barbara Starr, some of the most interesting information and best information we have gotten since we have started reporting this story, explaining to us how the military might help out if the situation turns out to get much worse. It appears that no one is trapped. And that's according to the fire department. No one trapped, and no one hurt. No injuries in all of this, and obviously, that means no deaths. And it appears that the smoke is getting lighter, which is good news, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And when you see that white smoke, that is good news. It means that fire is almost out, definitely under control.
Just a few moments ago, KVBC, one of our affiliates, one of its reporters on the ground was able to file this report for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Well, a pretty good vantage point and so we can definitely tell you now that it looks the fire has really been contained except on the right-hand side, where we continue to still see those flames grow.
I'm here with Lorie Massey (ph). She actually works at the Monte Carlo and she heard about it this morning from a friend who called you.
Tell me a little bit more about that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My friend called me to see if I was OK. And I was like, what? She said, the Monte Carlo's on fire. We drove down here and apparently it's really on fire. And I have a cousin whose husband is up there fighting those fire, so...
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Tell me a little bit about what your cousin is saying about her husband actually helping to put out these flames.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's saying, ah, I don't want to watch it, I don't want to know.
She's worried. But it's Fire Station 11 and we know they're doing their job. We know they are getting the fire out. Apparently, they're doing their job good, so, yay, Fire Station 11.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: When you first pulled up here, what did you see; how was this fire looking like to you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Horrible, fire everywhere, like from down on the -- like down four floors and then up to the top floors on both sides, which is kind of weird.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And now we see. It looks like I can't even see the flames anymore on the right-hand side.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right. The flames look like they are gone. So, yay.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: You have not talked to your cousin's husband yet, though, have you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have not heard from Phil Royalty (ph) yet, no.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: You worried about him? You hope...
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are worried about him, but we know he's a good firefighter and that's what he lives for and so...
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: You're supposed to be working tonight in the poker room.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At 5:00.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: You still planning to go out?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If they let me, yes, of course. The poker room must go on.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: You're not quite sure yet, though, whether or not...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know, no. I hope we have a job still.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Lorie, thank you so much for talking to us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. All right.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: She's one of the people who pulled over here to take pictures and started talking about some of the smells as well.
You could really smell the smoke coming from the building. At this point it's been a little bit better now, now that it looks like the flames have certainly been extinguished or looks more like it's under control. But at one point it was very, very strong out here, almost difficult to breathe. A much different story, though, now that it looks like firefighters really have those flames out.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: All right, once again, that was one of our affiliate reporters there from KVBC out of Las Vegas, Nevada, giving us an on- the-ground report from an eyewitness there in the parking lot.
The good news is what started as a three-alarm fire is close to being out right now. You can see the white smoke which means it's under control, it's almost out. It wasn't long ago, about an hour and 10 minutes ago, that this entire roof on the Monte Carlo on the south tire -- or south tower, rather, was on fire.
But firefighters got up to the roof and in sections, there are about two firefighters per section. They each had a ladder. One held the ladder. One worked the hose from the top there and sprayed down on the flames. Now, the only difficult thing about that firefighting was that the fire was causing some of the fiery debris to go down on a couple floors below the flame, causing that stucco foam facade on the outside of the hotel to catch fire.
But it looks like firefighters were able to tackle that. You can still see them here, live pictures, once again our affiliate KVBC, firefighters just making sure that they are able to get every bit of the blaze out, working every all the little sparks that have continued to come up since the very -- this is actually where the fire started. Then it worked its way down the top of that roof.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: And I'm glad you mentioned that, Kyra, because I have some information just getting from producers.
They're saying that the west wing, we're hearing from our affiliates, KLAS, that the west wing is contained. And I would imagine that is where the fire started. And then the south wing almost contained, which we have been sort of summing up from just watching these pictures here.
Also on the phone with us, Nicole Christensen. She works at the front desk, am I correct, at the Tropicana? You ran out when you saw the chaos?
NICOLE CHRISTENSEN, EYEWITNESS: Yes, I did.
LEMON: Tell us what you saw.
CHRISTENSEN: What I saw, tons of black smoke was just coming up. But my vision was kind of obscured because the New York New York is right in front of where the Monte Carlo is.
I could see the very front of it. They were evacuating all the guests and everything, so they were all standing out in the roads. The roads are shut down right now. The roads are blocked off by the police cars and everything.
But you can tell it is definitely on fire. That is for sure.
LEMON: Yes.
Now, you are at the Tropicana. So, are people getting wind of this and then running out? Are they leaving the gambling? This is new video that we're getting in, showing...
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Hang on, Nicole. Hang on one second.
CHRISTENSEN: OK.
LEMON: This is new video showing how those embers, Kyra, fell from the roof and then onto the lower floors there, causing some of it to catch fire.
So, Nicole, again, are people running out of the casino to go see this, or are they staying in at their blackjack tables?
CHRISTENSEN: Yes, you are actually really surprised that a lot of people don't even know what is going on. It looks like a normal day right now inside the hotel. Outside is a different story, but inside it looks like everybody is just going about their normal day.
LEMON: So now it appears that no one really has any interest that much in it?
CHRISTENSEN: No.
LEMON: No.
OK.
CHRISTENSEN: No.
LEMON: Nicole Christensen works at the Tropicana, ran outside to see what's happening. We're glad you're OK. Thank you very much.
CHRISTENSEN: Thank you very much.
PHILLIPS: Our CNN photographer Ric Blackburn happened to be in Las Vegas shooting the Miss America Pageant and got word of this fire and went over to the scene for us to work it.
Ric, you were able to talk to some of the police officers there on the ground. What did they tell you?
RIC BLACKBURN, CNN PHOTOGRAPHER: I guess not.
PHILLIPS: Can you hear me OK, Ric?
BLACKBURN: Hello?
Yes, I'm sorry.
PHILLIPS: That's OK. Did you hear my question? Or were you talking to some folks there on the ground?
BLACKBURN: No, I was -- Kyra, actually, I was watching an elderly lady being escorted to a police car. She looked like she was having some kind of medical problems. And they just got her into the police car and it looks like they are going to take them to get some help.
But I am on the sidewalk right directly in front of the Monte Carlo. I can tell you, we don't see the smoke billowing up anymore. I can't see the pictures that you are seeing. But it is looking like it's contained. But there are fire trucks up and down the Las Vegas Strip. Every intersection is cordoned off. And it's just the people on the sidewalk are just rushing around, kind of looking up in awe, just like 9/11.
It gives me memories of 9/11. I had to cover that also. That's all I have right...
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Well, what did the police tell you, Ric? You had a chance to talk to some of the police officers there on the ground. What did they tell you?
BLACKBURN: The police officer we spoke with said that the guests from the Monte Carlo were being evacuated across the street to the MGM Grand Hotel. There's a section of that hotel called the Garden.
And as you well know, all the -- most of the hotels out here are these mega-hotels. And as I'm looking at the Monte Carlo, just thousands and thousands of rooms. So, they have to have these guests go somewhere. So, you see people walking up and down the sidewalk with their, you know, their bags, whatever they could grab, I imagine, getting out of the hotel -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: So, you have only seen one elderly person being treated thus far? Otherwise, it looked pretty calm and organized with regard to the evacuation and there's been no report of any serious injuries to this point?
BLACKBURN: Correct. It's amazingly organized. The sidewalk that I'm on in front of the hotel is extremely crowded right now, as you can imagine. But it seems to me like they have everything in order -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: OK. Ric Blackburn, one of our CNN photogs there at the Monte Carlo Hotel -- Ric, thanks so much.
If you're just tuning in, about an hour and 16 minutes ago we, got word that there was a fire that had started on the roof of the Monte Carlo Casino. That's located right there in the heart of the resort corridor on the Strip. And, sure enough, the fire was spreading across the top of the roof. This is video from earlier, when we got word of that fire.
But now the good news is you can see the white smoke. It is under containment. It's close to being out. Right now, no reports of any injuries to this point, but did you hear Ric Blackburn, one of our CNN photographers, saw an elderly woman being taken to a police car and treated -- 3,000 rooms in this hotel recently remodeled.
Don't know how that fire started yet. Don't even know if the flames made it into some of the rooms. But we did see firefighters up on the roof working the fire from behind that facade. You can actually see some of the firefighters there up on top, thanks to our affiliate KVBC.
There we go. We are able to see a little closer. You can see them working just a little bit of the flames that are still kind of popping out from the roof of the hotel there.
LEMON: And, Kyra, I'm glad that you mentioned that video, because it just -- don't want to confuse our viewers. There's nothing -- there are no flames there. That was just new video that we got in just a little bit earlier of what was happening.
PHILLIPS: This is a live picture, though.
LEMON: Yes, this is live pictures.
But just before, just so you know, nothing is flaming now and on fire.
We just got an update also from the Clark County Fire Department, saying no major injuries reported at this time. The fire on the west wing is contained. The south fire is nearly contained. They said the fire is focused on the exterior. The building is nearly evacuated. Floors 15 and above have been evacuated entirely. On floors 15 and below, personnel are combing the floors to ensure everyone is out and to obtain an accounting for of everyone who is in there.
No injuries at this time. We have the fire contained on the west wing and the south wing. Additionally, there were welders on the roof. Again, we're hearing that there were welders on the roof. Cause of the fire not yet officially determined, but that may provide some insight to us that we're getting.
And this is, again, from the Clark County Fire Department, confirming to CNN all of the information that I had reported before. This fire that started about an hour, 20 minutes ago, at least when we got word of it, appears to have been contained, mostly, contained on one side and mostly contained on the other side of that building.
It started on the west side of the building, according to the information that we got, right on the top...
PHILLIPS: Yes.
LEMON: ... on the facade and then spread to the other side of the building, which is, if you're looking at these pictures, would be to the right of the building. And then some of the embers from the material on the roof and at the top of the building fell to the lower floors and caught some of the exterior on those floors on fire as well.
So, what you're looking at, pictures that may seem horrendous. But it may -- the damage may just be contained to the exterior of the building surfaces that may be more prone to burning. Not exactly sure. And, again, according to our Chad Myers and officials there in Las Vegas, that at the top of the building there were some heating ducts and air conditioning and heating and that could play a part as well. But this information that we are getting, there were welders on the roof, Kyra. So...
PHILLIPS: You're watching breaking news right here on CNN. We're going to take a quick break.
The good news is, the fire is almost completely out. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: And that breaking news is out of Las Vegas, Nevada, at this hour, 3:22 Eastern time.
About an hour and 20 minutes ago this fire broke out on the roof of the Monte Carlo Casino. Here's the good news right now, no reports of injuries at this time. Personnel are combing the floors, just to make sure everyone is out of that building. We did get word from the fire department that everyone had been evacuated, but now they are just doubling up and making sure that is the case.
Still don't know how that fire was started, but we are getting word now there were welders on the roof. Don't know if that caused the flames or not. Why did it get so big? Why did it spread so easily? That's because the facade of the hotel here has stucco and foam and as that fire started, it just sort of spread and created a bit of a domino effect across the roof.
When firefighters started fighting the flames, bits of burning embers kind of dropped from the top, and hit other parts, other parts, other floors below, and that what is created those little flames that we saw in other parts of that casino.
But the good news now, no reports of injuries. The fire is fully contained on the west side of that tower, still a little bit of fire you can see towards the other side, once our affiliate zooms out there and gives us a better picture. These pictures coming to us from KVBC. You can see the firefighters still assessing the damage up there on top, working any bit of flame that is sparking out that building.
But we are following this now via our affiliate KVBC, live pictures. And you saw the flames that started about an hour and 20 minutes ago.
LEMON: And, if you look at that, where the firefighters are, it appears to be only facade in that area. So, much of what has burned on the roof of this building could only be facade. So, the pictures, and this would be a hope here, may actually be worse than the actual damage here. Also getting word that the fire department there, Clark County, will hold a press conference in just moments. And, as soon as that happens, we will bring it to you in the CNN NEWSROOM.
When this started about noontime in the Las Vegas area, it started in the west wing of the hotel and then spread to the south wing. And as Kyra said, on the south wing, that has been contained -- on the west wing, I should say, has been contained. The south wing nearly contained. They're focused now on the exterior as we can see from these pictures and on that facade.
This building, we're told, nearly evacuated. On the floors 15 and above, they have been completely evacuated. Fifteen and below, employees, personnel combing the floors to ensure that everyone is out of the building. The good news at this point, no injuries to report. And, again, the fire has been contained.
Also as Kyra just pointed out moments ago and as we pointed out in our coverage, not sure if this has anything to do with it, but the fire department is reporting there and our affiliates that there were welders on the roof of this building. And, again, we're expecting a press conference in just a bit. And we will bring it to you right here.
PHILLIPS: We're going to take a quick break -- more live coverage via our affiliate KVBC and CNN. We have got crews there reporting back as many details as possible. Good news is, the fire is almost fully contained, no injuries to be reported at the Monte Carlo Casino.
Stay with us. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: We're following breaking news here in the CNN NEWSROOM, a fire in Las Vegas at the Monte Carlo Hotel. We're getting word now that, in about 20 to 30 minutes, we're going to get a press conference from officials there.
PHILLIPS: Good news, this is video from about an hour-and-a-half ago and that that fire has now been fully contained. No longer do you see flames coming out of the roof of that hotel.
T.J. Holmes has actually been getting some I-Reports in from you that are there on the scene, pictures, videotape.
T.J., what do you have for us?
T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As quickly as we can going through them, but let's go ahead and show you a couple that we have at least right now.
This was taken a couple of miles away, three or four miles away, we're told, by a gentleman outside of his office window, again, three or four miles away. This was from Clayton James (ph). This is out of his office window. And they also tell us, yes, this was taken with my iPhone. They seem to be proud of that fact that they have that iPhone sometimes.
Hey, the iPhone works and all of these phones work and camera phones, but this is a picture we got. And, yes, he was taking this out of his office window. Again, this goes to what we were saying earlier, that many people were saying they could see the smoke for miles, miles away. But this picture apparently just a half-an-hour or go or so.
This is another one from Zach Sherman (ph), who was passing by on the highway that runs right behind really the Strip. He said traffic just a mess out there, in town for business, took this picture as well with his iPhone, and actually sent this back to his office. He's an avid CNN watcher, and knew about I-Report and wanted to get this on as quickly as he could, so sent it to his office, told the secretary to get this on the air as quickly as possible, so just another vantage point from someone who is actually on the road and seeing that.
But we want to let people know that, of course, guys, we appreciate all the help in telling this story and those I-Reports. So, please, keep them coming you can. You can go to CNN.com/ireport or just go to CNN.com and you can, no problem. You're going to find it, the I-Report icon, and click your way through it.
So we certainly, as always, guys, appreciate the participation and the help and the work of our I-Reporters out there on the scene, guys?
LEMON: All right T.J., thank you very much for that.
We're getting the...
PHILLIPS: That's the fire presser right now.
LEMON: Yes.
CHIEF STEVEN SMITH, CLARK COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT: Pardon me?
QUESTION: How did it go?
Was it an easy fire to fight, difficult?
SMITH: High rise fires are never easy to fight. And, as you can see, with it being outside, our firefighters had to actually hang out the windows to try and cut the fire off. Or we directed our fire streams at an angle where we could make contact with the fire. So it wasn't an easy fire at all.
QUESTION: And didn't you like -- I think it was a couple of months ago -- you had a training exercise out at Fiesta Henderson where you guys went up to the top floor and fought a fire on the top floor.
Do you actually prepare for an exterior fire like this?
And how often do you do it?
SMITH: Again, it's some of the training. You have the largest hotel resorts in the world here along the resort corridor. And, again, to ensure public safety, we have to train and prepare for that type of today's incident that we had.
Again, to say that you practice a fire -- you don't really get to a practice a fire except for when it happens and you've had the training and you understand what you have to do to contain it. And that's what we've done today.
QUESTION: So if the danger zone is only on the top floors, why not just let everybody else stay in there and keep gambling and?
SMITH: No, again -- again, it's my responsibility as a public safety officer to ensure the safety of everyone. And at that time, we wanted to account for everybody that's within the structure. The easiest way for that is to evacuate the building, do an actual head count -- a name count, make sure that everyone has been accounted for and then make sure the fire is out and return that building to safest safe as it possibly can be.
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: For the viewers out there watching live on TV right now, what should you tell them about coming down here and what's the best advice you have?
SMITH: Right now I would say stay away from the resort corridor, especially Las Vegas Boulevard. We do have the southbound lanes shut off at this time due to the -- that's our staging area for all our fire apparatus. Again, there's -- there will be plenty of time for them to come down and look at it if they want to. But right now, with traffic the way it is, they won't get through, first off, and it would just create more of a traffic problem for everyone.
QUESTION: And you said fire apparatus, you're talking about 25 fire trucks (INAUDIBLE)?
SMITH: Well, there's -- there's fire engines, fire trucks and rescue apparatus.
QUESTION: And can you say what time the floors 25 and up were evacuated?
When was that completed?
PHILLIPS: Chief Steven Smith of the Clark County Fire Department, briefing reporters now on a fire that he said was really difficult to contain due to where those flames were and the fact that the fire kept catching because of that stucco foam facade.
This is tape from earlier, when firefighters got to the top of the roof and started fighting the blaze. And what happened is -- and you can even see the fiery embers there falling down from where the firefighters are working the blaze. As they were hitting it with water, pieces of that foam and that stucco were catching on other parts of the Monte Carlo Casino.
But the good news is fully contained right now. No reports of any injuries. We're not sure of the extent of the damage, if, indeed, the fire got inside those rooms up there -- penthouse apartments up there. Three thousand rooms in this hotel.
So if you look at the overall extent of the damage, it could have been a lot worse. But firefighters were able to get up on that roof and work it quickly.
It took about an hour-and-a-half to contain that fire, but they did it. And right now the fire chief saying no injuries to be reported.
LEMON: Yes, 3,000 rooms and also 3,000 employees in the hotel. So that would make a lot of people who were in the resort at the time.
The host of our show "MORNING EXPRESS" on "HEADLINE NEWS," Robin Meade, just by happenstance, is in Las Vegas -- as I understand, Robin, you were to just the Miss. America pageant tomorrow night. You are there.
How close are you and what are you seeing?
ROBIN MEADE, CNN "HEADLINE NEWS" ANCHOR: OK. Well, I'm just right now in eyeshot of the hotel. And my word, hasn't it changed within the last few hours.
To be honest, I was about 20 miles away at a spa here because one of the Miss. America judges, we've been working all week and the finals are tomorrow night. So we took a day to kind of get out of the city. And lo and behold this happened. So I'm trying to get back and hook up with our crew.
But what -- I have the advantage of watching some of the local reports on TV before I left the building and now listening to some of the local radio reports. And what I know is that obviously they've evacuated all of the people to the Bellagio and New York hotels. Now there's a big gawker problem. And that's why I'm having a hard time getting to the crew. The good news is, like you said, nobody is injured -- no one dead, no one trapped. And that is just amazing when you think about how many people were in this hotel.
And you have the Miss. America pageant this weekend here in town. So a lot of people are in town for that. I also know -- I don't know if it's still continuing, but I remember running into people who would say they were at a cement convention here and something to do with Intel earlier this week.
So, obviously, it's Las Vegas. You have these hotel rooms full all of the time.
It was a three are alarm fire. But from my vantage point, it looks like most of the fire is out. They might be working on a few hot spots, according to the local radio. But the flames seemed to have jumped from the roof to catch the facade on fire. I don't know if that matches up with what you all are hearing.
LEMON: Yes. And let me just jump in here, Robin, because we heard from the fire chief just a short while ago and he said the same thing about the gawker problem. He is telling people to stay out of the main corridor because the emergency workers there need you to stay out because they need to do their jobs.
Now, Robin, I know, as reporters, when we do this, when we just happen to be going to a breaking news story on the scene, the tendency is to listen to talk radio. And I imagine people are calling in and you're hearing reports from there.
What are you hearing from -- because I know you've been clicking through and watching and listening -- what are you hearing there?
MEADE: Yes, you know, a lot of people are calling into the radio stations here because they feel alarmed that they have to get to the strip. That's like the major employer. They want to get to work, because maybe their hotel isn't affected, but they can't get there. So they're asking for different employees to actually call in or employers to call the radio stations to tell them what do you want your employees to do, because they're the ones kind of clogging up the freeways. It's not the tourists who are in the hotel rooms, it's everyone trying to get to work.
So -- we also -- I've been listening to people talk about whether it was starting in a fire -- the fire started in a kitchen or a bar up on the upper floors or whether it was welding on the roof.
Did the fire chief speak to that yet?
LEMON: Yes. We did hear they're not exactly sure, Robin, of what started this fire. But we did hear that were welders on the roof.
Hey, Robin, we've got to move on because we have some other things we have to get to.
Take care there, especially with all those gawkers.
And if you get any other reports for us, will you please get back to us?
MEADE: I'll see you when we make it to our crew.
Thank you.
LEMON: Thank you, Robin.
Robin Meade, "HEADLINE NEWS," "Morning Express" anchor, just happens to be in Las Vegas.
PHILLIPS: About an hour and 40 minutes ago, this rooftop right here was on fire. The good news is it is fully contained. No injuries to be reported.
Thanks to all our affiliates in Las Vegas, helping us bring these pictures.
We're going to take a quick break.
You're watching breaking news on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: A fire on the roof of the Monte Carlo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas -- the guests and employees running for cover. It is mostly contained now. We're going to have updates throughout the afternoon here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
But we want to tell you about the worst fire in Las Vegas history. It was this one. Take a look at the video. It was at the MGM Grand Hotel. It was November 21st, 1980. Eighty-seven people were killed and more than 600 injured in that blaze, which started on a lower floor and then moved upward. The fire trapped guests on the upper floors of the 26-story hotel. Air Force helicopters were called into service for rescues. Several guests were taken out of windows by fire crews. That fire back in 1980 was the worst disaster in Nevada history.
PHILLIPS: And it was just moments ago that we saw live here on CNN Chief Steven Smith, reporting -- or, actually, giving a news conference to reporters.
We've got him on the phone now.
Chief, can we start by saying that the west wing and the south wing both are fully contained at this time?
SMITH: That's correct. We do have knock down at this time and we're just checking for extensions, to make sure the building is safe.
PHILLIPS: Good. That's great news.
And do you have any reports of any injuries?
SMITH: At this time, there is no reports of injuries to guests or workers or firefighters at this time.
PHILLIPS: And some of the affiliates and workers in other casinos were saying that there were workers that had been trapped.
Is that incorrect?
SMITH: That's incorrect. We do not have any reports of any anybody being trapped. But, again, we're going to do a thorough look throughout the building -- search throughout the building to make sure that we have everyone accounted for.
PHILLIPS: Well, I'll tell you what was pretty awesome to watch -- your firefighters up there in tandem, in teams of two, kind of each taking a section of the facade up there -- one manning the ladder, the other one working the hose and kind of shooting that water from the top down on those flames. But, obviously, this was a tough fire to fight, because the flames were kind of falling down and hitting other parts of the stucco and the foam there on the facade.
Kind of explain to us, from a firefighter's perspective, why this was not an easy fire to contain.
SMITH: Again, there is no way -- it was an entirely exterior fire which caused us to have to either come -- lean over the top of the facade on the top of the building, which is 412 feet off the ground, or to hang out of the window and try and get an angle on a fire from a good position.
PHILLIPS: And can you tell us -- we got reports that there were welders up there on the roof, chief.
Do you think that's what caused the fire?
SMITH: That right now will be determined once we have the investigation is completed.
PHILLIPS: Is that a possibility?
SMITH: At this time, we have to conduct the investigation to make sure. Again, I don't want to make any false (INAUDIBLE) here. And once we have the investigation completed, we'll make a statement of what caused the fire.
PHILLIPS: OK.
So are all the firefighters off the roof at this point?
SMITH: No. Again, we have to make sure that the fire is completely out. We'll make sure that there's no possibility of this starting back up again, so we can open the hotel back up.
PHILLIPS: All right.
So when do you think the hotel will be cleared to open again?
SMITH: Again, we want to make sure that the building is entirely safe. So it will take us some time this afternoon to make sure that we have the fire completely out and that the facility is completely safe.
PHILLIPS: Other hotels were being evacuated, as well.
Are they still up and operating?
And when do you think that you'll be able to clear that area?
I know a lot of people want to get to their hotels, get to their convention meetings and kind of get on with life as normal.
So what can you tell our folks who are watching about clearing that area, because I know you're having a tough time with people that are gawking, as well?
SMITH: Well, the only hotel that was evacuated today was the Monte Carlo. PHILLIPS: Oh, there were no other hotels that were evacuated.
SMITH: No, no, no, no, no, no.
PHILLIPS: Oh, we got bad information there.
SMITH: No. We -- the Monte Carlo -- or the MGM people were placing their guests into some of their sister hotels.
PHILLIPS: OK. And you mentioned just a moment ago that the fire did not get into the rooms.
Is that correct, this fire only hit the facade of the hotel?
SMITH: At this time, that's all that we have, is that there was -- it was mainly an exterior fire with minor -- there might have been a couple of rooms that had some (INAUDIBLE) but none that was causing major damage.
PHILLIPS: All right, Chief Steven Smith with the Clark County Fire Department. Appreciate you talking to us by phone, chief. And we'll follow up, of course, on the investigation.
LEMON: All right. And, you know, it was very interesting, Kyra, because actually when Chad Myers was looking at the aerial pictures, he made that point, that it was -- it appeared to be mostly facade on the top of the roof that was burning. And now the fire chief is confirming that. And, you know, sort of what we said when were looking at the pictures, it appears like there was nothing behind...
PHILLIPS: That's good news.
LEMON: Yes.
PHILLIPS: No threat to anyone that was staying in the rooms up there.
LEMON: Yes. But, then, obviously, very scary for folks who were either in the hotel or witnessing it or close by.
And one person who was doing that is Vince Perritano.
He joins us now by telephone, Kyra.
And we understand, Vince, that you have some cell phone video that you shot at the hotel sort of in the middle of this whole thing.
VINCE PERRITANO, VEGAS TOURIST: Yes, I do. I sent it in to I- Report already.
LEMON: Yes. Tell me -- and we're looking at it now. Explain to us -- because we're looking at some folks standing in front of you and then we're looking at smoke coming from the hotel.
Talk to us about these picture that you sent.
What was happening at the time you took them?
PERRITANO: Well, we were walking down the strip looking for a place to eat. And we saw some fire trucks going by and didn't think too much of it. And then we noticed some people taking pictures and kind of pointing toward the Monte Carlo. And as soon as looked, it was hard to miss it. There was huge black clouds billowing from the roof. So, you know, we stopped and I took some pictures. And then I remembered about I-Report, so I sent it in.
LEMON: Well, you just...
PERRITANO: Right now, there's no clouds. Like the chief said, it looks all contained.
LEMON: Yes. But I imagine it was -- if you were there on the strip and you whipped out your camera and you started taking this, I would -- I can just -- I can only imagine what people were saying and doing, their reaction around you.
PERRITANO: Most people were doing the same thing. They were pulling out their camera phones and taking pictures. There was a lot of talk of, you know, of people -- everybody here is hopeful that nobody was getting hurt. And everything remained pretty calm, though. After about a half an hour, a large crowd built up -- probably a few hundred people. But right now, it seems to have all dispersed. The only evidence that there was anything going on is the fire trucks and the ambulance are still parked outside.
LEMON: Yes.
And you are -- you're not staying at that hotel, are you?
PERRITANO: No. But I'm staying across the street from it right now, just in case there's anything you want me to check out for you.
LEMON: Well, of course, you're an I-Reporter. Of course, we want you to check out. But, again, we want you to stay safe. But anything that you can check out, any way you can assist us to get any more video, again, listening to the police and what they say, keeping in mind of the barricades and also keeping yourself safe, yes, of course. That's what I-Reports are all about.
You know, real quick, before I let you go.
Are you having trouble getting back to your hotel?
PERRITANO: No. I'm on foot right now so -- I wouldn't be able to drive right now. The strip is shut down.
LEMON: OK. Great.
Vince Perritano, CNN I-Reporter, on the scene for us. We appreciate Vince.
We also appreciate all of our I-Reporters. And just to remind you, CNN.com/ireports or you can go to the CNN Web site and click on the I-Report logo. And there's also a way to send it on your cell phone and I can't exactly remember it. If the producers can tell me, we'll get it in in just a minute, how you can send that video and pictures on your cell phone, as well.
But, again, Kyra, talking to the fire chief. It appears all is well and that, at this point, no injuries at this casino in Las Vegas, the Monte Carlo.
PHILLIPS: Thanks to all our affiliates, KTNV, KVVU and KVVC, for bringing us live pictures throughout our breaking news coverage.
This is what the Monte Carlo Casino looks like right now. The fire is contained. No injuries reported. Possibly the cause of this fire due to welders on the roof. The investigation continues. This was the fire about an hour and 45 minutes ago.
We're going to take a quick break.
You're watching breaking news on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
PHILLIPS: Well, the bad news is the Monte Carlo Casino has got a lot of cleaning up to do. But the good news is it looks like there isn't any damage to the rooms -- just the facade of the casino. And there are no injuries. Firefighters there on the scene just making sure that everything is safe and sound as the investigation continues into how this fire started.
It was about an hour and 50 minutes ago. We saw the flames on the facade of the Monte Carlo. Firefighters worked fast and furiously and were able to contain it in about an hour-and-a-half.
Vice president and spokesperson for MGM Mirage, Gordon Absher, on the phone with us now.
Gordon, can you tell us if, indeed, those rooms were not damaged and your -- the fire only hurt the facade of your casino?
GORDON ABSHER, V.P. MGM MIRAGE: Yes, right now we're in the assessment stage. The fire department just had a press conference. They announced that they've got the fire knocked down, which means there are no more flames. It was a three alarm fire. They've got 25 units and approximately 100 firefighters on the scene.
They're now searching for embers to make sure that these -- the flames don't reoccur.
Our evacuation went very, very well -- both guests and employees. Our primary focus, obviously, was the safety and protection of our guests and employees. As far as what happens next, we're still taking care of the scene right now, taking care of our guests. The Monte Carlo has more than 3,000 rooms. So the guests and the employees are being routed. The guests are being sent to the MGM Grand Garden Arena, which is immediately across the street at the MGM Grand. From there, we're going to take care of all of our guests with other accommodations on the strip. We own 10 properties here on this strip, so we will be able to take care of everybody.
Any guests who are coming in who have reservations at Monte Carlo, we're advising them right now to go to the MGM Grand, make their way to the MGM Grand Arena and we will take care of them at one of our other properties.
PHILLIPS: Well, that's good news for other folks coming in, that they'll be -- they'll be good with regard to their reservations.
Let me ask you about the welders on the roof. The chief, Gordon, saying that that's one of the things that they are investigating with regard to the cause of this fire.
Can you tell us what those welders were doing on the roof, what they were working on?
ABSHER: I don't have any information on that right now. Obviously, we're cooperating fully with the fire department and with their investigators. We're just as eager as they are to find out the cause of this and to take care of any problems they we might have had.
But right now I don't have any information. I can't even confirm that there were welders on the roof.
I can tell you, the pictures that we're looking at, when you see Monte Carlo at the very top, that is actually a facade that extends above the rooftop. So all of that that burned -- you see the charred part of that -- that actually is not room. That is not part of the hotel. That is a facade that extends above the roofline.
So there were no rooms impacted, when you see that part -- the actual guest rooms. And on the upper floors of the Monte Carlo, that's our concierge and suite levels. Only where you see windows are they actually rooms. Above that is -- is facade.
PHILLIPS: Got it.
Gordon Absher, vice president and spokesperson for the MGM Mirage. You own the Monte Carlo Hotel.
The good news is those that were supposed to be checking in will be able to get rooms at your other properties there, 10 properties there in the Vegas area.
Real quickly, Gordon, those in the hotel now, all those people that had to be evacuated, will they be able to go back to the hotel or will they all be moved to another hotel?
ABSHER: Well, obviously, we're going to cooperate with the fire department and take their lead on that.
PHILLIPS: OK.
ABSHER: We don't have any information on that. But we're going to make this -- their stay in Las Vegas as comfortable as possible under the circumstances.
PHILLIPS: We also saw a bride fleeing from the bottom of your hotel there. You'd better take care of her, too, Gordon.
ABSHER: There are those here in town.
PHILLIPS: All right, Gordon Absher, V.P. there of the Monte Carlo.
Appreciate you calling in.
Thanks, Gordon.
ABSHER: Thank you.
LEMON: Well, we have been focused on pictures coming out of Las Vegas, which we're going to continue to update you on the situation.
All eyes -- a lot of eyes have been on the markets and this crazy economy that has been happening this week. We're going to have a wrap up of that. The market down one point today almost 200 points. Right now, 186 points. A wrap of that, the closing bell and our continuing fire coverage, right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Man look at those pictures. That happened noontime Las Vegas time. The Monte Carlo Hotel the scene of much consternation today. It caused a big scare. These flames jutting out of the roof, a facade there. As it turns out, they may have been caused some damage to the roof. But we're getting word that no one is hurt in all of this.
We're going to continue to follow this story. The Monte Carlo Hotel -- a big fire there today. But, again, luckily, nobody was injured in all of this. That was our breaking news coverage.
PHILLIPS: Speaking of numbers and cash, Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange.
How did things turn out?
We didn't get to check the numbers for about an hour and 45 minutes.
LEMON: And what a week, Susan.
LISOVICZ: What a week. We were all -- you know, it's so much drama to begin the week, to end the week. MGM is not, of course, not only one of the world's largest gaming companies, it is a publicly traded company. Its shares are down, by the way, right now, down 3 percent. It owns about 26 properties, a lot of them in Vegas, of course, including not only the Bellagio and New York, New York and Monte Carlo, but the MGM Grand. And it has plans to build an even bigger site. I think it's got a $7 billion mega resort that is planned right in between those properties.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
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