No Sprinklers
The 2 million-square-foot MGM Grand opened in 1973. The casino on the ground floor was as large as a football field, but the hotel did not install sprinklers in this area.
Spreading Rapidly
It took just six minutes from the time anyone discovered the fire for it to engulf the entire casino area. It's estimated that the fire spread at a rate of 19 feet per second.
Cause
Investigators later determined that the fire began in a wall in a deli area of the hotel. Uninsulated wires on a refrigerator for pies were the culprit, starting a fire that made its way into the ceiling, then into the air duct network.
Effects
The fire raged out of control, fueled by hotel furnishings and other flammable objects in its path. Many people died of smoke inhalation or from inhaling deadly vapors released from burning PVC pipes.
Significance
As many as 5,000 people were in the hotel when the fire began. One fortunate aspect of the fire is that it occurred at 7 a.m., when city firefighters were changing shifts, in effect allowing twice the number of firefighters to respond quickly.
