MGM grand Fire Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

MGM grand Fire - Research Paper Example What could occur if a Second annual computer conference COMDEX’80 would not be held in Las Vegas when the blaze started? I woke up to screams of â€Å"fire†. I got dressed immediately, but by the time I went to the hallway, I could not get out because the smoke was so thick †¦ I did not break my window because there was so much smoke outside. (Canon, M. p.17) The MGM Grand Hotel was constructed during 1972-1973 as a 23-floor building with 2100 rooms that was on top of the great ground-floor entertainment center that accommodated a casino, showrooms, get-together room, and sell space. When the MGM Grand was finished in 1972, it was the biggest hotel on the planet. Though similar to all other Vegas gambling places where slots and table games gather the profit, the stress was on getting it up and running so the returns would begin running in to reimburse for high costs prior to the expected earnings. Having that a main purpose, MGM Grand was allowed to open with almos t no fire protection at all, to the point that minor precautions, like fire doors, were installed only after insurers were about to list the place as â€Å"unprotected†. Later, after the fire, an investigation confirmed that the fire spread so rapidly due to many installations and design flaws. Sometime early in the morning of November 21, 1980, something caused an electrical ground fault. The electrical wiring, which was powering the refrigeration unit for a food cabinet display, sparkled inside the soffit. Hotel’s restaurant Deli was closed for the night so the fire burned for a while, undetected. When the hotel originally opened, the Deli was working around the clock. On that ground, MGM Grand also got an exception on installing sprinkler system. However, open hours have changed. Had the Deli be open, the fire would likely be detected and easily contained. As it was closed for the night, hours passed before the fire found fresh oxygen, and burst into a fireball cros sway the catwalk in the casino. Within only six minutes after the fire was discovered, the whole casino area was ablaze, and the fire was spreading very rapidly. The Clark County Fire Department Unit was alarmed at 7:15 AM, and firefighters from the station straight across the road came in just 4 minutes, in time to witness the fire burst. During the five minutes, fire destroyed plastic and other inflammable materials, and spread through the casino at a speed of nineteen feet per second. The fire burnt the manual alarm amplifiers prior to the manual alarm was activated, so the majority of visitors became aware of the fire only at the time when they noticed or felt smoke, saw fire unit apparatus, or were informed by other visitors. Because the construction was equipped with sprinklers only in some parts, there were not any sprinklers in the major casino area. No automatic smoke recognition or fire alarm system was installed, with only manual pull devices set up throughout the hotel. The area protected by sprinklers at the east and south sides of the casino aided in extinguishing the fire. Force from the fireball raged out the front doors of the hotel all the way down to the northwest side. Blaze ran into the roofed entrance and valet part, wounding several passers-by and destroying a number of parked vehicles. Because of the upright gaps with insufficient protection and the non-stop working heating, and air-conditioning system, smoke spread all the way through the building.