3 Alarm Fire At Casino

[Zed Snardbody]

A three-alarm fire is still burning in the south tower at the Monte Carlo Hotel & Casino.

Thick, black smoke was pouring from the top of the building beginning about 11 a.m. No cause for the fire is known at this time and there are no known injuries. Fire crews from Clark County, City of Las Vegas and Henderson are on the scene.

People were evacuated from the Monte Carlo property to the Bellagio and New York-New York.

Las Vegas Boulevard is shut down between Tropicana Boulevard and Harmon Avenue. I-15 had not been closed by 11:45 a.m., but the northbound and southbound ramps at Spring Mountain Road, Flamingo Road and Tropicana Avenue were closed due to the fire. Nevada Highway Patrol spokesman Kevin Honey said the closures are to keep the general public out of the area so firefighters "with heavy machinery" can do their jobs.

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[KlavoHunter]

What precisely defines the number of "alarms" a fire is? (Or, for that matter, how many alarms are in a bowl of chili?)

[Sea Skimmer]

What precisely defines the number of "alarms" a fire is? (Or, for that matter, how many alarms are in a bowl of chili?)

The number of alarms a fire is relates to how large a fire department response is automatically called in. Every jurisdiction sets its own standard for just what that means, and typically the system ends at five or six alarms, though additional firefighters may be called in simply to act as relief’s or for truly absurdly huge fires. The increase in the number of fire fighters from one alarm level to another is usually not completely linear. By the time you get to five alarms you’re looking at 100-200 firefighters responding.

As I recall from an old book on firefighting I had a while back, the idea originates from back when modern phone networks didn’t really exist and all fire departments had was hard wired alarm systems to directly link each other together to call for help.

[KlavoHunter]

Ah, so it's a matter of how many fire departments get called in. Always wondered that.

[Isolder74]

What precisely defines the number of "alarms" a fire is? (Or, for that matter, how many alarms are in a bowl of chili?)

Well generally a 1 alarm fire calls up only the nearest fire station while a 2 alarm calls up the nearest 2 stations. Sometimes they also indicate what special trucks are called in as well. A 3 alarm fire often usually calls in a ladder truck as part of the response for most large cities.

[Mlenk]

Yes, I was driving home this morning right during the thick of it on Tropicana. I'm not sure if they were tourists or residents, but a whole crowd of dumbass people in their cars were just stopping in the middle of the street to take pictures!

Metro had to be eventually called in to start the flow of traffic back up.

[Damaramu]

OOh, that's a shame. I've stayed at the Monte Carlo before. Real nice place.

[Kuja]

Same here.