{"id":212088,"date":"2022-05-04T16:31:14","date_gmt":"2022-05-04T23:31:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=212088"},"modified":"2022-05-04T17:36:20","modified_gmt":"2022-05-05T00:36:20","slug":"montanas-honest-toms-casino-smoky-blaze-could-be-homicide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/montanas-honest-toms-casino-smoky-blaze-could-be-homicide\/","title":{"rendered":"Montana\u2019s Honest Toms Casino Smoky Blaze Could Be Homicide"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Bridger, Montana fire which led to the deaths last month of two people in Honest Toms Saloon & Casino is now being investigated as a possible homicide. Autopsy results have to be released.<\/p>\n

\"The
The burned exterior of Honest Toms Saloon & Casino, pictured above. The investigation into last month’s fatal fire is leading Montana officials to consider whether it was a homicide. (Image: Billings Gazette<\/em>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Word about the homicide inquiry was announced today (May 4) by Carbon County Sheriff Josh McQuillian<\/a>, according to a report from MTN News<\/em>, a Montana news site.<\/p>\n

\n

However, last month McQuillan said the April 20 deadly casino fire was not believed to have been set<\/a>, according to KTVQ<\/em>, a local TV station.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

But the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fire continued. The Carbon County Sheriff’s Office and the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation have undertaken the inquiry.<\/p>\n

The Honest Toms fire led to finding Marla Murray, 71, and John Ahles, 33, inside the building. Both were deceased.<\/p>\n

Murray was an employee and she was working at the time. Ahles also worked at the casino. But he was off-duty that night, MTN News<\/em> said.<\/p>\n

The two victims were alone in the building during the fire. Both resided in Bridger, the same community in which the casino is located.<\/p>\n

Casino Is Closed<\/h2>\n

Since the blaze, Honest Toms was closed by its owners. The small building was described by McQuillan as a \u201ctotal loss\u201d because of smoke damage, the Associated Press<\/em> reported last month.<\/p>\n

\n

When firefighters arrived, they were unable to enter the burning building because of heavy smoke, the AP<\/em> added. The first to arrive, Bridger Police Chief Mike Buechler, said he found smoke billowing out of the front door, KTVQ<\/em>, a local TV station, reported.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

He yelled out to see if anyone was inside, but no one answered. He was able to open a screen door. He could only see a couple of feet inside because of the smoke.<\/p>\n

Multiple fire departments responded to the fire. They were able to bring the fire under control in about a half-hour.<\/p>\n

The casino is located on the main thoroughfare through the southern Montana town. Bridger is a small community located about 47 miles south of Billings, Montana.<\/p>\n

Earlier Casino Fires<\/h2>\n

In March, a slot machine at Bally\u2019s Twin River Lincoln Casino Resort in Rhode Island caught fire. The March 8 fire was caused by a machine malfunction. It was quickly contained to the casino floor. The blaze did not cause any significant damage, nor was anyone injured.<\/p>\n

In an earlier incident, Resorts World Las Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip was the site of a fire last June. It took place before the property\u2019s grand reopening. The blaze broke out in a storage area.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Bridger, Montana fire which led to the deaths last month of two people in Honest Toms Saloon & Casino is now being investigated as a possible homicide. Autopsy results have to be released. Word about the homicide inquiry was announced today (May 4) by Carbon County Sheriff Josh McQuillian, according to a report from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":212090,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMontana\u2019s Honest Toms Casino Smoky Blaze Could Be Homicide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The fire which left two people dead in Honest Toms Casino is being investigated as a possible homicide. 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