casino fires<\/a> are rare. Lessons have been learned since the early eighties when two of the most notorious such tragedies occurred.<\/p>\nIn 1980, an electrical fault in a deli on the ground floor of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, now Bally\u2019s, caused a blaze that killed 87 people and injured 700 more. It was the third-worst hotel fire in US history.<\/p>\n
A year later, the upper floors of the Las Vegas Hilton became engulfed in a fire that killed eight and injured over 200 others. Philip Cline, a busboy, was later charged with murder and arson and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.<\/p>\n
Such incidents, along with regulations imposed after 9\/11, mean high-rise buildings are now constructed with additional stairs and fortified elevators, with more stringent fireproofing of structural elements to minimize risk.<\/p>\n
This article was updated Tuesday to reflect that the Fire Department has since confirmed arson is not believed to have been involved. The investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A fire at California\u2019s largest casino, the Pechanga Resort & Casino, on Monday resulted in three injuries and the entire evacuation of a hotel tower, according to local news reports. The Pechanga Fire Department said the blaze broke out at around midday on the first floor in the elevator portal of the resort\u2019s original hotel […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":106257,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,18456],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Arson \u2018Not Ruled Out\u2019 in Pechanga Casino Fire That Injured Three<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n