Aug. 25, 1964 A fire that started on the roof of the Sahara hotel-casino sent gamblers out into the street and caused an estimated $1 million in damage before firefighters put out the blaze. The Nevada Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Thursday over a rule change in Clark Countys Family Court that makes it easier to close hearings to the public. [59] The fire was ruled arson and a suspect was taken into custody, having been seen at the hotel and purchasing gasoline. Brain size increases rapidly . "You set a fire in a crowded hotel what do you expect?". [18] At least 40 people were injured in the fire including 2 firemen and 23 required hospital treatment. [4], On March 17, 1899, in the deadliest hotel fire in New York City's history, the Windsor Hotel was destroyed, with approximately 86 being killed. Dana Fuller, 25, and Terry Brown, 21, had gone into the burning apartment building in downtown Bellows Falls to find the trapped residents in the rundown hotel. [17], On January 3, 1940, a fire broke out in the aging Marlborough Hotel in Minneapolis, Minnesota, killing 19 people. The fire was caused by the ignition of garbage in closet above the boiler. "He set the fire. Philip Bruce Cline was convicted of arson and is serving eight life terms, plus 15 years in state prison. He had stolen money. It was 110 years ago Saturday that Laurence Archibald (Archie) Hickling, a common man, as described in the Vernon News, was one of 11 men who died in a fire at the Okanagan Hotel. Enjoy mile-high Denver views with a drink in hand. Only a common man, yet in the supreme test of manhood he did not fail. Bedsheets tied into makeshift ropes hung from windows. You dont get away with nothing, you know. The Hotel Roosevelt fire, on December 29, 1963,[1] was the worst fire that Jacksonville, Florida, had seen since the Great Fire of 1901,[2] and it contributed to the worst one-day death toll in the city's history: 22 people died, mostly from carbon monoxide poisoning.[3][4]. 4 min read. For years the celebrated soprano Adelina Patti kept a standing suite of rooms on the third floor . Openings in vertical shafts (elevators and stairwells) and seismic joints allowed toxic smoke to spread to the top floor. About 200 others were injured in the blaze. The Ellis Hotel currently stands in the same spot in Peachtree as the Winecoff did. The hotel was . The city block where Newall house was located became Milwaukee's "death block" when Fire Chief James Foley and three firemen died there in 1903. [69] The fire was reported to the fire department at 2:38am by Harold Phillips, an off-duty firefighter who was passing by. [8][9], On December 11, 1934, shortly before 5:30 am, a fire broke out in the Kerns Hotel in Lansing, Michigan. There were 245 people staying at the hotel on the night of the fire. In 1999, a plaque was added to the back of the Hickling monument containing the names of 10 of the 11 men who perished: Wilbur Smith, carpenter; J.J. Funston, labourer; Jas. At the end of each year, the Hotel Roosevelt hosted hundreds of travelers who came to attend the Gator Bowl. I admit it. [46] Crews from 25 communities fought the blaze, which was not put out until 2:48 p.m. on May 10. By June, the woods were on fire in a hundred different places. "Philip Cline was his own worst enemy. 2005 A three-alarm fire at the Aztec Inn, just north of Sahara Avenue on the Strip, forced the evacuation of the casino and caused an estimated $200,000 in damages but no injuries. [25] Six were hospitalized with injuries. [1] An arsonist, Gerald Willey of Randolph, Ohio, had poured gasoline on the carpet on the first floor of the two-story roadside motel and set it on fire with a lighted match. SPARE CHANGE: Wayfinder fire is a reminder of blazes I've covered in the past. [3] [4] "I didnt want to face the truth. Associated Press, Fire in Chicago Hotel Fatal to 14, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, "Summary of Fire Incidents 19342006 in Hotel Fires in the United States as Reported to the NFPA, with Ten or more Fatalities", "Streetscapes: A Day of Heroism and Horror", "Gotham hotel burns; at least 14 are killed", "National Affairs: Legislators at Lansing", "Lansing fire toll may reach 50: Five solons die as Hotel Kerns burns; hunt other victims", "27 hotel guests perish in a fire at Atlanta, Ga", "Minneapolis has a disastrous fire-20 dead", "19 die in most disastrous fire in the history of Minneapolis", "Hotel Fires: Experts work to prevent repetition of conflagrations of last year, the worst in recent U.S. history", "Charred pile may give up more bodies. Nothing was ever proven. However, the new rules are reported to have made many people homeless in the 1980s, since those living in low-income housing could not afford to make the mandated changes and hence deserted their houses. [1] The fire remains the deadliest in Houston's history. Immediately after the disaster that killed 119 people, cities across the country . [86], On August 26, 1995 a fire broke out in the Clark Building of the 100-year-old Hotel St. George in Brooklyn, New York. 1986 Thomas Edward Little Owl, born on a Montana Indian reservation, was convicted of setting a string of fires at Strip hotels in early 1986. Extensive archives on the fire, including valuable photographs, exist within the Jacksonville Fire Museum. Arnold Hardy, a 26-year-old graduate student at Georgia Tech, became the first amateur to win a Pulitzer Prize for Photography for his snapshot of a woman, later identified as survivor Daisy McCumber, in mid-air after jumping from the 11th floor of the hotel during the fire. Atlanta fire fighters could reach only up to the eighth floor with ladders, and the nets they had spread could not hold many who jumped into themholding capacity was limited to jumps from up to 70ftand many people died on the sidewalks behind the hotel. Because of fire doors being left open and the nearby combustible materials, the fire spread very rapidly. By continuing to browse or by clicking I Accept Cookies you agree to the storing of first-party and third-party cookies on your device and consent to the disclosure of your personal information to our third party service providers or advertising partners to optimize your experience, analyze traffic and personalize content. A homeless man who was charged with setting the fire suffered serious injuries. Retired Las Vegas police homicide Detective Chuck Lee, who got Clines confession during a polygraph test, always believed Cline intentionally set the deadly fire, perhaps as part of a homosexual encounter in that eighth-floor elevator lobby. The disaster led to the general publicizing of the fact that during a building fire, smoke inhalation is a more serious threat than flames. Sparks from a short circuit in a hotel deli started a major fire at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas at 7:10 AM on Nov. 21, 1980. The historic Veranda House Hotelon Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, was damaged Saturday after a huge blaze ripped through the building. The jury spared Clines life, but in giving him eight consecutive prison sentences of life without parole, it all but assured he would die behind bars. "I cant bring back them eight people. (KSLA) The hotel had to be evacuated. "We couldnt go with the death penalty, because we didnt think he did anything to hurt anybody," Kelley said. [61], In January 1977, a fire broke out in the Stratford Hotel in Breckenridge, Minnesota, killing 17 people. Heavy smoke and flames could be seen billowing from the roof of the. The fire spread throughout the building via the stairway. Philip Cline tries not to think of that day 30 years ago. But in his statement to police, he made what authorities considered a Freudian slip. . [44] However, several victims died of asphyxiation from the heavy wood smoke. An updated report Sunday said a fourth firefighter was also seen at a nearby hospital. On February 10, 1981, 90 days after the MGM fire, a smaller fire broke out at the Las Vegas Hilton. The building, at 4th Avenue and Church Street, was one of the city's most famous structures until a fire severely damaged . But 1910 was also the driest year in anyone's memory. Nov. 21, 1980 The second worse hotel blaze in United States history, the MGM Grand Hotel fire (the worst was at Atlantas Winecoff Hotel), took 87 lives and injured 700 people. NEWPORT, R.I. (WLNE) Flames ripped through a section of a Newport hotel forcing guests to evacuate Monday night. Firefighting efforts were hampered by narrow streets and low water pressure and by 12:30 a.m. the fire had spread across the entire 300-foot front of the building. (Roger Knox - Morning Star), The final resting place and headstone in Vernons Pleasant Valley Cemetery of Okanagan Hotel bartender Julius Fuerst. Just before 7:30 p.m., the Ventura County Fire Department reported the blaze on the second floor of the four-story hotel just off Highway 101 in Camarillo, roughly 50 miles northwest of Los. The fire killed 85 people, and sent 650 to the hospital, including guests, employees, and 14 firefighters. ", The Veranda House Hotel's loss will be a blow to the island of Nantucket, according to The Boston Globe. I says that not only we in Vernon, but the whole world is richer for this deed of heroism. Rome teenagers Billy Walden, Charles Keith, James 'Buzz' Slatton and Lamar Brown were among 119 victims of a fire at the Winecoff Hotel in Atlanta on Dec. 7 of 1946. Authorities received a report about a fire at the Veranda House hotel just after 6:45 a.m. Saturday, at which time an off-duty captain and several people ran to the scene to help evacuate. [1] The hotel had been the first concrete building in the state when it was built in 1858. "They all entered into life threatening conditions in order to warn, rescue and remove people within the building. He was probably headed to prison one way or another. The top two floors collapsed. Yet even if Clines new story is taken at face value, the dangerous nature of his act speaks for itself. [10][11] Among the dead were seven Michigan state legislators: state senator John Leidlein and state representatives T. Henry Howlett, Charles D. Parker, Vern Voorhees, John W. Goodwine, Don E. Sias, and D. Knox Hanna, who were in town for a special session of the state legislature. District Judge Michelle Leavitt set another hearing for March 9 to appoint him a standby attorney through the Clark County public defenders office. [31] The La Salle fire prompted the Chicago city council to enact new hotel building codes and fire-fighting procedures, including the installation of automatic alarm systems and fire safety instructions inside hotel rooms. [19] One child was trapped on the third floor of the hotel and screamed for 15 minutes before he died in the flames. Archie Hickling was not bound to do what he did that August morning; he was a member of no organization which made it his duty to risk his life. In 2009, Vernon filmmaker Bruce Mol produced a movie called When Duty Calls The Story of The Okanagan Hotel Fire of 1909, Vernon, B.C. Theres nothing I can say or do that will bring them back.". In January 1966, a fire broke out in the Hotel Carleton in St. Paul, Minnesota, killing 11 people. Tuesday marks 75 years since a fire started at Atlanta's Winecoff Hotel, which is still the deadliest hotel fire in U.S. history. Most bodies were charred beyond recognition; 84 charred bodies were found in the casino, five in the lobby area, three in an elevator and one in a guest room on the west side of the hotel. [53] The fire was reported to be an arson attack and a 16-year-old, Louis C. Taylor, was charged with felony homicide and arson. "I never believed it was an accident," Lee said. Open transoms in the rooms helped spread the fire. July 01, 2005. Three died and. On June 19, 1946, two weeks after the La Salle Hotel fire, a fire broke out in the six-story 200-room Canfield Hotel in Dubuque, Iowa, killing 19 people. [citation needed], The first call to the Jacksonville Fire Department was made at 7:45a.m., by hotel doorman Alton Joseph Crowden. That Dec. 7, 1946, blaze at the Winecoff Hotel even touched the Augusta area. Post-Dispatch file photo A Post-Dispatch drawing of the main dining hall on the third floor. he said. The Cecil Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles, California, is not famous because of its near 100-year history or its beautiful Beaux-Arts lobby, but rather because it has been the scene of tragedies and deaths many times over. [16], George P. Jones, the hotel manager, reported that there were about 75 people in the hotel at the time of the fire; a substantial number of them were railroad workers. In this article, first posted in 2009, Kara Kovalchik looks back at what caused five famous . During a recent interview in a drab cinder-block meeting room at High Desert State Prison, where Cline is serving eight consecutive life terms, he emphasized how sorry he was for what happened and insisted he never intended to hurt anyone. Shortly after 8 p.m., firetrucks surrounded the burning hotel. Crews in Texarkana, Texas responded to a fire at the Wyndham Garden Hotel on Stateline Avenue Tuesday, May 10, 2022. [55] The temperature at the time of the fire was well below zero; firefighters had to change clothes frequently after being drenched thawing out hoses and hydrants, and ice axes were used to search for victims. "We were in the ballroom right next door to the . [6] In addition, assistant chief J.R. Romedy collapsed of a heart attack during the initial rescue efforts, and died at the scene. The disaster was investigated by reporters of The Daily Journal (now Milwaukee Journal), newly edited by Lucius W. Nieman. Snows melted early and the spring rains never came. The fire ignited from a spark from a welder's torch during the installation of an air conditioning unit. Fuerst was buried seperately in the local cemetery. [1] The five-story hotel was located at Spring and Mitchell Streets across the street from Terminal Station in the Hotel Row district. Early on Sunday, Feb. 5, 1950, as the Browning basketball team and others in The Montana Hotel slept, a furnace in the hotel exploded. The early morning. After a day of recovering the dead, firefighters found 20 residents dead in their beds from smoke inhalation. However, intense heat forced them back and the fire spread along the roof to the front of the building. The two-story pink and red hotel that caught fire in Catarina last weekend was for many Laredoans a striking roadside attraction on the way to Eagle Pass. They had taken a Land Rover out that day to map in another locality. It was described as one of the worst such fires of the century. New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara was arraigned on Thursday along with three other men charged in connection with an alleged brawl at a Strip casino. News From 110 Years Ago: 02/25/2023 Feb 25, 2023 - FIRE THOUGHT to have started in the cooking room of the domestic science department at the Boardman Avenue School building, broke out. "I thought if they didnt know the truth, Id be all right, if that makes any sense.". On March 17, 1899, the Windsor Hotel at 575 Fifth Avenue caught fire, the first smoke and flames billowing from the building just as the city's annual St. Patrick's Day parade reached 47th Street. Just four days into its journey from Southampton, England, to New . It was established that the fire originated in a deliberate act of arson; three people were convicted for this. Out of the 85 fatalities, four died of as a result of the burns, one jumped out of the. Firefighters rushed to the Wayfinder Hotel on Admiral. 29 people died in the fire, many of them charred beyond recognition. I didnt want to tell people that I was responsible for doing that. Contact reporter Brian Haynes at bhaynes@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0281. [16] The building was fully ablaze minutes after the alarm bell sounded shortly after 3:00 a.m.[16] Soon after the fire team arrived, the roof collapsed, hampering rescue efforts. EditClose Kind of weird family tradition I suppose, but LUCY LONG AGO came along at the perfect time for my 7 and 9 year old. Bedsheets tied into makeshift ropes hung from windows. Clines roommate had warned him not to smoke it all at once advice he ignored. National TV networks gave live coverage of the fire and the rescue operations undertaken by Puerto Rican firefighters, using helicopter services and rescuing people from the roof of the hotel. Honour his memory.. Support Centre Workers who did not have proper welding permits accidentally sparked the fire with molten metal from a hand-held cutting torch, according to Clark County Fire Department inspectors. Guests broke windows and cried for help. Property damage to the Hotel Roosevelt was immense, and the hotel was closed in 1964, with most of the hotel's businesses and staff relocating to the equally upscale Hotel George Washington. Rick Wuschenny and his family are from Ituna. (Vernon and District Family History Society - photo). In a statement posted to its Facebook page, the Veranda House Hotel confirmed that all employees and guests had safely evacuated, and it thanked the fire department for its response. At the time of the fire, approximately 5,000 people were in the hotel and casino, a 26-story luxury resort with more than 2,000 hotel rooms. [11], The former Hotel Roosevelt, located on Adams Street in downtown, is still standing. Hockey Leagues 1st Star of the Month. [58], On July 7, 1975, a fire broke out in the Pomona Hotel in Portland, Oregon, killing 11 people (initially reported as eight). [42] By 9:30am the fire had been suppressed, and approximately 475 people were successfully rescued, including four from the roof. Cameron House has been ordered to pay 500,000 after admitting to breaches of. Yet Cline said he still hopes the Pardons Board will give him a chance at freedom. [5], On February 22, 1902, the Park Avenue Hotel in New York City was partially destroyed by a million-dollar fire that killed at least 14. The inquiry report found that fire spread from new furniture temporarily stacked in a ballroom of size 5.59.41.8m; the furniture consisted of dressers made of wood and particle board, mattresses and sofa beds, packed in cartons. [48], Since the building lacked modern fire fighting facilities, Seattle made major changes to its fire codes. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Husband supported the idea of a memorial immediately after the fire, and at its dedication in December, gave a most eloquent speech about Hickling, as reported in the Vernon News. One man was never identified. Due to its dark history, the rebuilt version of the hotel switched hands often until it was refurbished into the Ellis Hotel. The former altar boy was hardly an angel, committing petty crimes as often as he changed jobs. The fire alarm system was not tied to the local fire department, and although some people reported a bell ringing, they failed to realize it was the emergency alarm bell. The fire originated in this room and quickly engulfed the casino and the lobby; smoke spread from the two-story lobby to other floors, and flames spread over an area of 437m. Smoke and fire spread through the building, killing 85 people and injuring 650, including guests, employees and 14 firefighters. The researchers believe she fell from a height of some 40 feet, hitting the. The second time Hickling came out his shirt was on fire, but he went back a third time upon hearing screams from an upper window of one of the waitresses from the hotel bar. [16] Firemen reported that they later found a whole family dead in one room, a woman in a rocking chair, a man and a boy stretched across the bed, and a girl kneeling by it. The Ozark Hotel fire, Seattle, March 1971. [65] Frederick Weiler Blady, a 36-year-old drifter from New Jersey, was arrested and charged with arson in connection with this fire and with a previous fire at the same hotel on October 5, 1978. Search in ruin of Dubuque hotel hampered by toppling walls", "Atlantic City hotels fire toll may hit 25: 8 known dead, 17 missing in million dollar blaze", "Police search for arsonist in shore hotel fire", "Fire Department Journal The Paramount Hotel Fire", "At least 14 dead after hotel fire at Anchorage: Boiler room explosion suspected", "A Look at Swampscott's New Ocean House Hotel Fire 50 Years Later", "Arsonist kills 20 and injures 10 at the Ozark Hotel fire in Seattle on March 20, 1970", "Police Charge Hotel Fire Deaths to 16-Year-Old Boy: At least 28 died", "Man convicted in deadly Ariz. fire walks free", "A report to Milton J. Shapp, Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania", "Firemen continue hunt for hotel fire victims", "Oregon fire takes 8 lives; Man held on arson charge", "When the gas leak was confirmed, reaction time ticked into tragedy", "At least 13 are dead in Kansas City hotel fire -- many others missing", "Push on to solve NY arson case that killed 7 Canadians", "Fatal 1978 Holiday Inn fire still frustrates Greece officials", "After 36 Years, a New York Town Sifts Through Suspicions on a Fatal Fire", "Fire Chief Investigated for Deadly Arson That Killed 10 At Holiday Inn", "Flash Fire Kills 26 Executives in Westchester Hotel; 24 Hurt", "Lessons of the Stouffer's Inn fire, 25 years later", "Stouffer's Inn, Where 26 Died in Arsonist's Fire, Will Reopen", "Intelligencer: Stouffer's Fire: Defense Stiffening? Standing there on the street he was in safety; he knew the danger of going back. 7 Trailblazing American Women Entrepreneurs In the new study's version of events, Lucy died quickly but not painlessly. "Messing with the drugs. Even small hotels with single occupancy rooms could not adapt to the rules. I was scared," he said. [45] No cause was determined, however a hotel spokesperson stated that it may have started in a staging area erected for plumbing work.[46]. Then October 26, 1913, seven people, including some firemen, died fighting fire on the block. [70] No one was ever charged with the crime; in 2015 suspicions were raised that Phillips himself, who had since become the town's fire chief, might have set the fire. The liability case was settled out of court for US$6million.[73]. 0:00. [16] One hotel guest reported having to jump from the second-floor elevator cage. FIRE Terrace is a year-round rooftop bar where you can eat and drink alfresco. Twenty-six of them . Inside, hotel workers told people to stay in their rooms with towels under the doors as the hallways filled with black smoke. Together with the MGM Grand fire, the Stouffer's Inn fire led to the adoption of stricter fire codes on the state and national levels. Kelly said his former client had many issues to raise on appeal, including his lack of a lawyer when he gave his confession, but for some reason Cline was never given an attorney to file an appeal. On March 20, 1970, a fire caused by arson broke out in the lobby of the Ozark Hotel in Seattle, Washington, at about 2:30am (a clock on the second floor had melted, showing the time as 2:45). Cook, prospector. The firemen, are coming to get you. More than half of the occupants of the hotel died in the fire; only 25 guests were reported to have been registered at the time. They couldnt find the mystery man called Joe. Willey was later convicted of one count of aggravated arson and 10 counts of involuntary manslaughter, and was sentenced to 14-to-50 years at Mansfield Reformatory. Hickling was hailed a hero as he rescued two children from the fire, as did the hotel owner, A. Sigalet. ", Officials have yet to estimate the cost of the damage to the Veranda House Hoteland the two additional building. "I was thinking, you know, all the stuff I had done prior stealing cars, stealing money was all coming back on me. Aug. 25, 1964 A fire that started on the roof of the Sahara hotel-casino sent gamblers out into the street and caused an estimated $1 million in damage before firefighters put out the blaze.. Prosecutors pushed for the death penalty. The explosion was caused by a gas leak from a main pipe in Boylston Street that seeped into the hotel's basement. Thick black smoke filled the air ducts and escape . In all of the statements, he wrote how he had discovered the fire, called the operator and banged on doors. Three of the four firefighters were released the same day. At 2:30 a.m. on March 20, 1970, an arsonist sets a fire that sweeps up two stairways of the wooden five-story 60-room Ozark Hotel at Westlake Avenue and Lenora Street in Seattle. The deaths were from smoke inhalation, burns, cuts and other injuries. [53], On January 16, 1972, a fire broke out in the Pennsylvania House Hotel in Tyrone, Pennsylvania, killing 12 people. Initially the police did not consider the fire suspicious, but was officially ruled arson after an expert fire investigator brought in from New York City discovered that an uncommon and highly flammable chemical had been used to ignite it. [7], On December 3, 1913, a fire in the Arcadia Hotel, a flophouse on Washington Street in Boston's South End, killed 28 and injured 50. Prosecutors said Thursday that they would consider the death penalty for a man accused in two killings within nine hours of each other. It can be found on YouTube. Expand. Anderson, bakers assistant; Julius Fuerst, bartender; M. Chabtree, labourer; George Gannett, cement worker; George McKay, cement worker; George Seltgast, painter; Archibald Hickling, labourer; Wm. This fire spurred the City Council to enact stringent new fire codes, which forces hotel and apartment owners to add sprinklers and fire doors, and abide by other fire codes or be forced to close. Flames shot through the building. [63][64] The Coates House was a former luxury hotel, and the building dated to 1886 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but it had become a single room occupancy hotel mainly housing the poor and elderly. [34][35], Guests at the hotel included teenagers attending a Tri-Y Youth Conference organized by the YMCA in the city, Christmas shoppers, and people in town to see the film Song of the South. [30] Around 900 guests were able to leave the building but some 150 had to be rescued by the fire services and by members of the public, including two sailors who were reported to have rescued 27 people between them. ", "At least 13 die in New Jersey hotel fire", "Handyman Sentenced To 20 Years For Hotel Fire", "St. George Hotel Complex 16- Alarm Fire", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_hotel_fires_in_the_United_States&oldid=1133991698, Articles with dead external links from December 2017, Articles with permanently dead external links, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2021, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 16 January 2023, at 13:32. On June 19, 1946, two weeks after the La Salle Hotel fire, a fire broke out in the six-story 200-room Canfield Hotel in Dubuque, Iowa, killing 19 people. [10], Immediately after the fire many local Jacksonville residents, churches and businesses took in displaced hotel guests, and provided food and clothes to those displaced.[6]. The extent of the fire was minimal but it created considerable thick smoke, which hampered rescue efforts. The Nevada Supreme Court has upheld a ban preventing insurers from using credit score declines against those who lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic. No arrests were made in this case. [23] On August 15, he was sentenced to 22 concurrent life terms in prison. Ill get her or Ill die, said Hickling, as reported in the Vernon News on Dec. 23, 1909, when the monument was dedicated and erected in Hicklings memory at Vernon City Hall (later moved to the park). Thats the one thing I want to get across.". Prosecutors charged Cline with arson and eight counts of first-degree murder. Several people were killed leaping from the building, including William Oscar Webster, a railroad engineer from Columbus, Georgia, who had jumped from a fourth-floor window. Forty-two years ago, on the morning of 21 November 1980, Red Flag training operations at Nellis AFB became disrupted when a fire swept through the luxury MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. "The actions of the citizens and the Captain saved lives," the report said. There were at least 60 people in the hotel, which was more boarding house than hotel, at the time of the fire. While the fire primarily damaged the second floor casino and adjacent restaurants, most of the deaths were on the upper floors of the hotel, and were caused by smoke inhalation. Jurors in the criminal case werent swayed by Kellys argument about the hotel being responsible, because the building was up to the current fire codes, the jury foreman said. Fingers were pointed at hotel co-owner S.J. "I grabbed a trash can and filled it up with fire, and I put the couch out & then I went to get some more fire (the word was crossed out) water to put the curtain out," the statement read. 0:15. He bounced around casinos, including the El Cortez and MGM Grand, before becoming a $39-a-day busboy at the Hilton about six weeks before the fire. [19] The guests either fled through the corridors with coats over their heads or jumped from their rooms and were killed because the stairways were blocked by the fire.
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