Casino news source: The Day - http://www.theday.com
Electrical Malfunction Blamed For Fire At Casino
Water-Damage Repairs Under Way After Smoky Blaze At Foxwoods Hotel
By Heather Allen Published on 1/31/2008
Mashantucket — The seven-alarm fire at Foxwoods Resort Casino on Tuesday that required the help of 17 local fire departments was caused by an electrical malfunction atop the Great Cedar Hotel, according to preliminary information released by the State Fire Marshal on Wednesday.
The fire started when the device used to keep the hotel's pipes from freezing malfunctioned, the fire marshal's report said.
The smoky fire started in the ninth-floor mechanical room just before noon on Tuesday. The hotel's electrical, heating and cooling systems are all located on the ninth floor, said Foxwoods spokesman Saverio Mancini.
No injuries were reported.
More than 200 rooms on the fourth, fifth and sixth floors were opened to guests Wednesday night, according to Bruce MacDonald, a spokesman for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, which owns and operates Foxwoods.
The seventh and eighth floors could take a few more days as they suffered serious water damage. A total of 22 rooms were affected by water damage, MacDonald said. Officials are assessing what materials, such as wallboard and carpeting, will be needed for the repairs.
Portions of the roof, opened up as firefighters fought the fire, will also need to be replaced. A crane removed pieces of the roof Tuesday night. Plywood is being used to cover the roof temporarily, MacDonald said.
The Great Cedar Hotel, one of three on the property, features a casino, 312 guest rooms and a VIP lounge used by the hotel's high rollers.
All of the guests staying at the hotel were evacuated and moved to either the Two Trees Inn or to the Grand Pequot Tower on Tuesday night.
More than 120 guests arrived Wednesday and were all moved over the Grand Pequot Tower, the newest of the three hotels.
“They were actually upgraded,” Mancini said. “People are actually pretty happy about that.”
Tuesday's fire was the first of this magnitude at Foxwoods since the casino opened nearly 16 years ago.
The first alarm was called in at 11:47 a.m. and six alarms followed.
As alarms were called, additional fire companies were called in to assist. The multiple alarms were called not because of the size of the blaze, but because more firefighters were needed on scene.
“The challenge was in getting to the fire,” said MacDonald, pointing out that the fire was located 150 feet off the ground and underneath a metal roof.
Additional help was needed to evacuate patrons from the hotel and casino as well.
The fire was declared under control and contained at 2:35 p.m. The fire was officially knocked down around 7 p.m.
The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Fire Department was the first to respond, and its aerial tower truck was used to douse the flames. Sixteen departments followed, contributing additional manpower, 27 firetrucks and four ambulances.
There is a mutual aid plan in place in New London County, so that if there is a massive fire or if a department needs additional assistance, emergency crews follow a prepared protocol. The plan includes a preprinted list that details which department should be called next based on proximity and available apparatus.
“It's a network of communities helping each other and it's a recognition of the fact that from time to time, people need help,” MacDonald said.
Both the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes have their own full-time departments and respond to mutual aid calls off their respective reservations. Firefighters from the Mashantucket's department responded to 73 calls off the reservation in the last year, MacDonald said.
Firefighters from neighboring companies receive tours of the casinos and hotels to so become familiar with the layout and where fire hoses and hook-ups are located, said Kenneth W. Richards Jr., the Old Mystic fire chief and fire marshal.
Richards said because of that high level of preparedness and cooperation, the combined crews staged an extremely effective response on Tuesday.
“For the size of the building and the number of mutual aid, it went very well,” he said. “I don't think it could have gone much smoother.” |
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