Yeah, it's sad how weak we have become that you cant even say a normal word without warnings and opt ins. Not saying a word or talking about a subject doesnt make it go away. That's like covering your eyes so others wont see you.
Before I could watch this video, I got a warning from UA-cam that "The following content may contain suicide or self-harm topics." Has anyone else had that happen on this video?
Yeah I couldn't imagine needing a second opinion on a fire. I assume maybe so that if it's a prank call, but I can't imagine people are calling in fake fires very often and I feel like it would be more worth it to go to every call false alarm or not.
The place I work, we need to call now because of how many times the alarm tripped itself and we get charged $1500 every time they show up for no reason. They don't show up when the alarms go off themselves lol
Disgusting negligence on the hotel’s part for this. I can’t fathom that likely numerous people signed off on that policy being in place and thinking it was a good idea. Literally jaw dropping negligence.
In the early 90s, as a medical massage therapist, one of my clients was in the MGM Grand fire. I went to her house, rather than having her come to my office, because it was pretty much two hours per session, and she did best when she didn't have to get up and drive back home. Her relief lasted longer that way. She had jumped (I don't recall how far) when her arm caught fire and she did a great deal of damage to her legs. I would work the scarring on her arm and shoulder to help keep it loose, and nearly the rest of the time was spent on her lower back and legs. She got tons of money for it. She said the constant pain and nightmares weren't remotely worth it and she'd rather be penniless and whole.
I worked there in 1980 the day of the fire. I worked the 9 pm to 5 am shift. A lot of people from Mexico celebrate the 20th of November mexinan revolution anniversary died
I noticed that too. It was basically shoddy electrical work. My city of Las Vegas has gotten better in that area too. Most of the big casinos are union as well, and the electricians now days now what they are doing. Unfortunately back then it was questionable work.
My dad once told me that "you shouldn't be pennywise if it means being dollar dumb." This is that saying incarnate. The owners could have stopped this whole incident with $192,000 upgrade. Instead, they paid 50 million in damages and millions more in lawsuits.
I was 11 years old, living in Las Vegas when this happened. I remember seeing the live coverage on a 13 inch black and white TV in my bedroom and then looking out my second story window to see the whole thing happening in color. I climbed out and sat on the roof watching the flames, smoke, and helicopters while listening to the reports on the TV. It was a very surreal experience.
I was 7 years old living here in Vegas. I also had a black and white TV in my bedroom so your comment brought back those memories. I don't remember this fire too much, I was too young. I just remember it occupied local news stories long after the fire.
I've heard about this one before, and it still kinda blows my mind to think how easily this could've been prevented with less than $200k in fairly simple upgrades.
My mom was working at a copy-house in Seattle that produced copies of the evidence photos taken in and around the Grand. 120 or so copies of each photo; every copy had to be compared to the original, since these were destined for Trial. Workers on the contract took turns 'verifying'; several folks quit rather than look at horrors all day. She didn't talk about it, other than to say that she never wants carpeted floors.
When I went to fire school to become a firefighter, I learned about this fire, the World Trade Center attacks and multiple other large classification structure fires. We learned how to fight them, ascertain causes and preventive measures. I got to see all the gnarly pictures that the public normally doesn't see 9 years later, I got a masters in fire science, hazmat certifications, cbrn certification and wildland. I love my job, especially going to elementary schools to teach young children fire safety
Thank you for your work🙏 I loved how the firefighters came to my little girl’s school and put their full gear on helmets and all and taught them to not fear what is a pretty intense sight. They crawled towards each other and then were so sweet with Color-books and little mini helmets and stickers for them. My uncle brian was an Emt and fire chief in CT and like a second father to me. Pillar of strength and heart of gold. 💗🙏💗
I had my bachelor party in Las Vegas 3 days after the largest mass shooting the USA has ever had. That city really can come together to help each other after a tragedy.
I celebrated my 21 birthday down the street from The Mirage on the night Roy’s tiger ate his face. I didn’t even hear about it until I came home. They all really came together….except Roy’s face. That wasn’t together. 💪🏻 #VegasStrong
When I was about 10, my parents and I were going home from bowling when we saw what looked like a fireball mushroom just around the bend on the expressway. Maybe half a mile. A tanker truck had exploded. The driver suffered 3rd degree burns over 98% of his body. Thankfully, he passed away 7 days later. I say thankfully because of what I saw, what I heard and what I smelled. My dad was one of the first people on scene that wasn’t injured so pulled up fairly close. I’m 59 years old now and it’s as fresh in my memory as if it were a couple hours ago. I’ve had nightmares from it. Unfortunately, my dad wasn’t thinking about his family or himself; just, could he help. I saw the man, or what was left of him. He just kept screaming for someone to help him. I still cry about it sometimes and I’m not a cryer.
The largest loss of life in my state was the station nightclub fire 100 people lost their life when the band great white used pyrotechnics in a small venue that didn’t have proper fire exits or suppression systems.
I watched that on TV for hours the night it happened. I remember the father begging for someone to tell him about his daughter. And the screams of those trapped. So sad. I made my kids watch the video and I have them look where fire exits are. They know not to go where we came in because everyone else will go that way.
I'm a mechanical insulator by trade, part of my job is firestop, this incident is cited in our training as the driving forces of the building code requirements in BC.
As a Las Vegas local, and a fire sprinkler fitter for the last 17 years, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard about my job being in existence because of this fire. We do a lot of service work on the older buildings. AMA.
5:32 I worked at a Native casino outside Albuquerque about 20 years ago, and one night there was a fire at an egg farm a mile or so away. The wind was blowing this disgusting acrid smoke(that smelled of burnt chickens and their feces) directly into the casino which prompted the Tribal fire department to call for an evacuation. The smoke was so thick inside that you could hardly see 5 feet in front of you and people were still trying to play the slots. The Tribal police had to go in and threaten to arrest people for them to finally clear the whole building.
My cousin is a firefighter and we recently just got back from Vegas. He noticed there’s nowhere near enough sprinklers on the roof of Ceasars. I remember him saying “this is DEFINITELY not up to code, that’s ridiculous”. Looks like some of these casinos still haven’t learned
It was a restaurant called the deli that was in the back that caught fire. It was a pie case. That had a short and that it was smoldering for a while. by the time someone saw it it already consumed the wall
Thanks for making this video. Sadly, there is no memorial for the victims. Their legacy lives on in improved hotel fire safety and building codes all over the world!
Negligence of infrastructure and buildings is going to be the next biggest wave of disasters in America. Most roads, bridges, and major buildings lack proper thought through safety standards that newer building standards just would not have allowed.
Companies don't care how many people die as long as they can save money. When disaster strikes, their insurance company pays out, not them. Sure, their insurance cost may go up but it will be only a fraction of what the upgrades will cost. This is just "good business moves". 🤬
I lived in North Las Vegas when this happened. The traffic on the highway backed up and you could see the smoke from where we were. It was as terrifying as the Rault Center Fire in New Orleans where the hook and ladder trucks didn't have enough extensions to get to the salon on the top floor. Of the several women who jumped, only one survived landing on the next roof, 9 floors down. Wasn't aware of the issue with the codes at the MGM. The Rault Center was, I believe, up to code, but it wasn't enough when the fire fighters couldn't get water up to the fire, or ladders, or even men.
I remember this happening. I was a kid and the images were so vivid for the time. My dad was a firefighter and they reviewed this extensively to learn from it
In 1980, I was working on a case involving slot machines sales to casinos (lets say wiseguys were involved) so had more than usual interest in this fire disaster. No doubt it had a lasting impact on fire safety in motels/hotels and casinos. The MGM actually bought insurance after the disaster to cover their losses. It took advantage of their premiums being invested increasing the amount of money available but less net out of pocket after their regular policies covered. There was also a kinda sick joke involving this disaster - "The Gamblers Special: Fly on a DC-10, have a Ford Pinto rent a car and stay in the MGM Grand.
I worked at a casino in St. Louis for quite a while. There were several people I worked with who were working at MGM that night. They had a lot of stories. The one that still sends chills up my spine was about the slot machines. There are a lot of slots players that are a special breed. These players had to be dragged, literally kicking and screaming, away from their machines, cussing the whole time. Then they had to be held back as they kept trying to run back into the building. It both blows my mind and freaks me out. But knowing what I’ve seen with die-hard slots players, I can see it happening. I’m so glad I worked in table games. Most of the people I worked with who were there left Vegas right after it all happened. I can only imagine.
I was good friends with a lady who went by Dotty, who was a Lead Nurse who worked this disaster. She said even 30 years afterward she'd still wake up occasionally with a whiff of burning flesh in her nose. It led her to have a stress exacerbated stroke a few years later that left her in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. She passed away about 10 years ago and I still think about her from time to time.
You should do one on the Ykua Bolaños supermarket fire, where the exits were closed due to orders from above, as the owners thought people would start looting. 400 people died. It happened on the 1st of August, 2004. No social media back then so the way me and my family found out was when we turned the TV on and the first thing we saw was a completely charred corpse being carried away by the firefighters.
This fire happened when I was a senior in high school. It absolutely floored me that they didn’t have nor were required to have pull fire alarms in hotels in Nevada. The fact that the POLCY of the hotel was to wait 5 minutes before calling the fire department was unconscionable. But I do remember the flurry of activity it set off in the legislature here where I live as they went through state laws concerning fire safety standards making sure it couldn’t happen here. There were people who bitched about the cost of upgrading safety systems, but having burn victims testify and show their scars up close and personal to them tended to shut them up pretty fast.
As you mentioned the fire burned at over 2000 degrees which is unusual. Contributing to that was the absence of fire curtains in the false ceiling. When it gets that hot, the air will ignite….causing a flash over condition. That contributed to many of the deaths. I remember it well.
I live in Vegas and have done HVAC here for 15 years. The original mgm tower which turned into ballys was mind blowing how low the ceilings were. I can't imagine being in there during a fire. What a nightmare situation
It's a shame that this is how we have to learn the consequences of greed and negligence. A little bit of preventative measures could have fixed this before it happened. History's lessons are brutal and vicious, yet we still pay no attention to them until they slap us in the face.
I grew up in Las Vegas. The stories of the community pulling together in this time of tragedy reminds me of the community response to the shooting in 2017. You can call us sin city all you like, but when it comes down to it, it's a city of quiet heroes
I watch lots of Casual Criminalist, but I don’t think any of those has ever made me feel sadder than this video, especially the part about the newlyweds.😔 It’s not fair that doing nothing over doing the right thing is so often an acceptable decision to make in the eyes of the people who have the power to do something, especially when it’s until it’s too late.
I watched this on the news. It gave me the habit of checking the evacuation maps that are usually on the inside of the hotel door. And then making a specific trip out of my room, to find two or three fire exits. I never want to die like this.
PTSD is hell... Lots of ways to experience it. And it's hard to predict what will trigger it. Definitely watching a video though. Images, smells, sounds...
The fire was at the original MGM Grand. The property ended up changing hands to Bally's, the slot machine manufacturer. The name was sold to a new gaming company that focuses on regional casinos like Chicago. That Company is who bought the Tropicana and is going to build a resort around the A's MLB stadium. The tower involved in the MGM Grand fire is now the Horseshoe. Same building, obviously well updated.
A live in a small town near Harrisburg, PA with lots of history and last year I randomly discovered a forgotten fire fighters report on what looked like a literal nuke excplosion back in the 60's that transpired after a train derailment on an intersection a few miles outside of town I cross over everyday. The train was carrying several tanker cars full of petroleum and highly flammable chemicals, which ended up in a pile up after it derailed early in the morning. At first when firefighters arrived, nothing happened. But at some point a spark ignited the pile and a mushroom cloud the size of downtown Harrisburg rose 1,000 ft into the air lighting everyone in the vicinity on fire. The only reason I know how big it was, is because there was a single photo saved, taken from town and it literally looks like a nuclear bomb went off. I was shocked, because somehow, literally no one knows about it. There definitely must have been some kind of cover up going on here cuz I don't understand how an entire town could forget something like that.
I read about this case extensively some years ago, it's truly heartbreaking. Most of the lives lost can be written down to negligence and cost cutting.
My parents spent part of their honeymoon in the MGM Grand 5 years before this. My sister then spent her honeymoon in the new hotel decades later. It is sad that all because there are less fires people are becoming complacent since fire can spread quickly and kill fast.
This disaster is one of the events I cover in my safety course. I have a number of materials on this event. Thank you for focusing on the key critical elements. I think you did a very good job of describing a very bad event. I would like to include a link to your video as part of the materials in my course.
The owner of the corporation I worked for here in Memphis, narrowly escaped. He and his wife had gotten up early that morning to have breakfast with an “associate”. They finished about 8:00am and couldn’t get any closer than 2 blocks from the MGM. When they left Vegas they had all new luggage and clothes because their clothes and luggage “smelled like death” was what they both said upon their return to Memphis.
I got off work at Circus Circus and drove down the Strip. The road was empty. I found a parking spot at the Dunes across the street and watched the flames shoot out the front door. What a morning that was.
I was 12 yrs old when this happened. In the summer of 1980, my family and I stayed at a camp ground in Las Vegas. It was attached to one of the hotels there. I remember we ate in the coffee shop inside the MGM. The fire was breaking news at the time. My family and I were stunned. We had just been there just a few short months before. It was very sad about the people who lost their lives to the fire.
That same hotel became Ballys, and is now the Horseshoe. A similar but much less deadly fire occurred a year later at the Hilton with the same safety violations, and that's what really forced the city's hand to massively overhaul building regulations. Native Las Vegan here, born a year after this fire happened. It's one of those tragedies that was still mentioned a lot and I'd randomly see footage of either on the news or educational videos at school. Between this, Pepcon, and the Route 91 shooting, Vegas has been through a lot.
I remember this happening live on television when I was 12 years old. My parents were freaking out about how such a thing could happen in that day and age.
I can remember, as a kid, watching on TV the helicopters around the top of the hotel. I also remember reading the account of the first firefighters on the scene, from the Clark County FD house across the street. That fireball rolling through the casino must have been a real wake-up call to what they were facing.
Wow! I had no clue. More of this please. I remember the 5 star hotel that burned down in Dubai ? Saudi? A very prominent place. That really changed the way I look at high rise hotels and penthouse suites. I stay on lower floors when I travel
Almost 20 years ago in July of 2004 the condo my family lived in burned down. Myself and my youngest brother were out of the state at the time but my mom, middle brother, aunt and cousin all had to jump out of the 3rd story window. All of then lived but my brother was the only one that got out without injury. Fire safety has always been a big deal to me since.
My friend is a tour helicopter pilot in LV and they train for this exact eventuality. They do roof landings and loading drills. It’s not if but when. Thankfully smoking in bed has gone out of fashion but corporate greed and the speed in which the resorts open can only mean rushed building jobs which means mistakes are being made daily.
Tim Connor: There's a fire on the deli! Call the fire department! Security: Have you had any training in identifying fires? Tim Connor: No, I'm a supervising engineer doing my daily inspections at the MGM! Security: So you aren't specialized in fire identification ... we'll send some down after breakfast to verify...
I seldom travel but my children gifted me the Beatles show at the MGM so we went! The first thing I counted were the smoke detectors-next, how many doors there were between our room and the stairwell. My daughter thought I was being paranoid but as a disabled woman who already has trouble negotiating stairs I’d rather be ready. RIP to those who perished- I was only 17 in 1980 and hadn’t heard about it in New England
I find it hard to believe that any company would skirt on fire safety. The loss of property should be enough, but like the guy said in Robocop 2, "They'll have relatives. They always do."
My grandpas best friend and his girlfriend both died in this fire. The girlfriend suffocated in their room, but he tried to make it back up to their room to get her and died in the hallway..... it destroyed my grandpa and he never got over it. RIP Thomas Spagnola
My friend worked for the phone company then, and it was her day off. She came out of a store, saw the smoke, and went to work. Years later, I worked in a casino security department. We were FORBIDDEN to say fire on the radio, we had to use code numbers. On July 4th and New years eve, instead of fireworks, we had 402 works.
As a school teacher, I had a kid go down in my class. I called the front office on the PA and said I needed an ambulance. They said OK. I tended to the child the best I could and made sure she didn't stop breathing (she didn't). After several minutes, a security guard entered the room, looked at the kid on the floor, and said into his radio "OK call the ambulance." I am a college graduate and responsible legally for the protection of the children, but they would not take my word for it. But the minimum wage security guard they trusted? Never believe that management has respect for the labor working under them.
Simon, thank you for everything you do. I've learned so much from you, if every teacher were like you I'd have learned so much more in school. To be honest the emotion you put into your pieces is what does it. This time has almost brought me to tears at the neglect of the casino and not a lot of teachers car reach people on an emotional level and so this time I must say. Thanks. Keep going, I want to learn so much!
You missed the part where they MGM realized they were underinsured and convinced a syndicate of insurers to underwrite _retroactive_ insurance. That’s actually where most of the litigation related to this case came from. Needless to say, it was the first and (to my knowledge) only time a retroactive insurance policy was ever sold. There were so many parties and attorneys that they literally had to use an arena for the courtroom!
A Hotel I worked had a small fire. It was caught early and it was just minor damages with no one hurt. But it was definitely a change in perspective. I can't even imagine how these people felt during, and feel long after. Edit: For typo
A few months before the MGM Grand burnt down my uncle and his wife treated us to a performance called Hallelujah Hollywood that featured the MGM trademark Lion. Later his wife who was a Las Vegas native said the poor Lion was doped up so it could hang out in the lobby and be trotted out on stage as the show stopper. A month after the fire we stayed at the hotel across from the MGM and it had a very ghostly appearance with the open windows with the white drapes blowing in the wind. It reminded me of an abandoned ship.
![[柴犬ASMR]曼玉Manyu&小白Bai 毛发护理Spa asmr](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/0TsXQ7z2Dh4/mqdefault.jpg)
First into the shadows video I've seen with a graphic content warning 😮
I think it’s Over reaction from UA-cam. The biggest censors on the internet 🙄✌🏻🙄
They Really do want us to forget lmao
@@TheKrausenKid they’re killing their own platform
@@CashelOConnolly UA-cam oh I am a baby I need a diaper gonna need some changing
Yeah, it's sad how weak we have become that you cant even say a normal word without warnings and opt ins. Not saying a word or talking about a subject doesnt make it go away. That's like covering your eyes so others wont see you.
Before I could watch this video, I got a warning from UA-cam that "The following content may contain suicide or self-harm topics." Has anyone else had that happen on this video?
Yup‼️ I think it’s Over reaction from UA-cam. The biggest censors on the internet 🙄✌🏻
It's amazing how factual things that happened in real life need censored
Yes
Yeah it's YT overreaching as this really doesn't deal with those topics but what can you expect from a company that tries to automate everything.
Yes
Can we talk about this insane policy of waiting 5 minutes to call 911?
Yeah I couldn't imagine needing a second opinion on a fire. I assume maybe so that if it's a prank call, but I can't imagine people are calling in fake fires very often and I feel like it would be more worth it to go to every call false alarm or not.
The place I work, we need to call now because of how many times the alarm tripped itself and we get charged $1500 every time they show up for no reason. They don't show up when the alarms go off themselves lol
Disgusting negligence on the hotel’s part for this. I can’t fathom that likely numerous people signed off on that policy being in place and thinking it was a good idea. Literally jaw dropping negligence.
Mob doesn't like cops
In the early 90s, as a medical massage therapist, one of my clients was in the MGM Grand fire. I went to her house, rather than having her come to my office, because it was pretty much two hours per session, and she did best when she didn't have to get up and drive back home. Her relief lasted longer that way. She had jumped (I don't recall how far) when her arm caught fire and she did a great deal of damage to her legs. I would work the scarring on her arm and shoulder to help keep it loose, and nearly the rest of the time was spent on her lower back and legs. She got tons of money for it. She said the constant pain and nightmares weren't remotely worth it and she'd rather be penniless and whole.
I worked there in 1980 the day of the fire. I worked the 9 pm to 5 am shift. A lot of people from Mexico celebrate the 20th of November mexinan revolution anniversary died
That's heartbreaking
@KarynHill thank you for being one of the unsung heroes
“All that was left were two questions. What caused the fire and could it have been prevented, the awnser to both of these questions, was yes.”
😂 came to the comments looking for this
People watching the video: "What caused this fire?"
Simon: "Yes"
I thought about commenting on this, but felt like I was being nit-picky. Glad I'm not the only one. 😆
@@redhandedjill too funny
I noticed that too. It was basically shoddy electrical work. My city of Las Vegas has gotten better in that area too. Most of the big casinos are union as well, and the electricians now days now what they are doing. Unfortunately back then it was questionable work.
Weirdly had to confirm this video as age restricted. I thought it was very cleanly and tastefully done.
Agreed.
I am coming to believe that YT hates real history
My dad once told me that "you shouldn't be pennywise if it means being dollar dumb." This is that saying incarnate. The owners could have stopped this whole incident with $192,000 upgrade. Instead, they paid 50 million in damages and millions more in lawsuits.
Your dad was a wise and obviously a good man
@@tinaroberts5858 I'm sure he would have gotten a real kick out of the story.
Hindsight is always 20/20
Absolutely true, my dad said the same thing.
Classic, evergreen dad wisdom
I was 11 years old, living in Las Vegas when this happened. I remember seeing the live coverage on a 13 inch black and white TV in my bedroom and then looking out my second story window to see the whole thing happening in color. I climbed out and sat on the roof watching the flames, smoke, and helicopters while listening to the reports on the TV. It was a very surreal experience.
A survivor recalled copying Robert Wagners towel on turnip to dive through thick smoke. Unlike his movie inspiration he survived.
I was 7 years old living here in Vegas. I also had a black and white TV in my bedroom so your comment brought back those memories. I don't remember this fire too much, I was too young. I just remember it occupied local news stories long after the fire.
I've heard about this one before, and it still kinda blows my mind to think how easily this could've been prevented with less than $200k in fairly simple upgrades.
My mom was working at a copy-house in Seattle that produced copies of the evidence photos taken in and around the Grand.
120 or so copies of each photo; every copy had to be compared to the original, since these were destined for Trial.
Workers on the contract took turns 'verifying'; several folks quit rather than look at horrors all day.
She didn't talk about it, other than to say that she never wants carpeted floors.
can you upload the photos?
There’s some similarities to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in New York in 1911. Very sad.
That was so horrific! So many people don’t even know about so I’m always glad when I see someone mention it!
People don't like having to deal with them, but building codes and safety regulations were written in blood and tears.
When I went to fire school to become a firefighter, I learned about this fire, the World Trade Center attacks and multiple other large classification structure fires. We learned how to fight them, ascertain causes and preventive measures. I got to see all the gnarly pictures that the public normally doesn't see
9 years later, I got a masters in fire science, hazmat certifications, cbrn certification and wildland. I love my job, especially going to elementary schools to teach young children fire safety
Thank you for your work🙏
I loved how the firefighters came to my little girl’s school and put their full gear on helmets and all and taught them to not fear what is a pretty intense sight. They crawled towards each other and then were so sweet with Color-books and little mini helmets and stickers for them.
My uncle brian was an Emt and fire chief in CT and like a second father to me. Pillar of strength and heart of gold.
💗🙏💗
I had my bachelor party in Las Vegas 3 days after the largest mass shooting the USA has ever had. That city really can come together to help each other after a tragedy.
Las Vegas locals are generally pretty damned OK.
I celebrated my 21 birthday down the street from The Mirage on the night Roy’s tiger ate his face.
I didn’t even hear about it until I came home. They all really came together….except Roy’s face.
That wasn’t together.
💪🏻 #VegasStrong
Yet they still won't give us any info on the shooter nor any reason why....
@@IzzyTheEditor Vegas locals =/= government
Can it? It's a ghetto outside the strip
When I was about 10, my parents and I were going home from bowling when we saw what looked like a fireball mushroom just around the bend on the expressway. Maybe half a mile. A tanker truck had exploded. The driver suffered 3rd degree burns over 98% of his body. Thankfully, he passed away 7 days later. I say thankfully because of what I saw, what I heard and what I smelled. My dad was one of the first people on scene that wasn’t injured so pulled up fairly close. I’m 59 years old now and it’s as fresh in my memory as if it were a couple hours ago. I’ve had nightmares from it. Unfortunately, my dad wasn’t thinking about his family or himself; just, could he help. I saw the man, or what was left of him. He just kept screaming for someone to help him. I still cry about it sometimes and I’m not a cryer.
I have a couple of friends who retired from Las Vegas Fire. One of them had this as his first working fire
The largest loss of life in my state was the station nightclub fire 100 people lost their life when the band great white used pyrotechnics in a small venue that didn’t have proper fire exits or suppression systems.
There was a news camera there during the fire. He is inside and gets out. Videos those who didn't.
That's a horrendous video still remember it vividly. He was filming a doc on fire safety too
I watched that on TV for hours the night it happened. I remember the father begging for someone to tell him about his daughter. And the screams of those trapped. So sad.
I made my kids watch the video and I have them look where fire exits are. They know not to go where we came in because everyone else will go that way.
Did Simon just drop videos on practically every channel he's on? All I see is Simon's face in my recommended feed, lol.
It's a "Simon Saturation"
He's been replaced by AI.
Yes and I'm grateful lol
Happens every Monday
AI essays are making it easier
I'm a mechanical insulator by trade, part of my job is firestop, this incident is cited in our training as the driving forces of the building code requirements in BC.
one of the main driving forces*
As a Las Vegas local, and a fire sprinkler fitter for the last 17 years, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard about my job being in existence because of this fire. We do a lot of service work on the older buildings. AMA.
5:32 I worked at a Native casino outside Albuquerque about 20 years ago, and one night there was a fire at an egg farm a mile or so away. The wind was blowing this disgusting acrid smoke(that smelled of burnt chickens and their feces) directly into the casino which prompted the Tribal fire department to call for an evacuation. The smoke was so thick inside that you could hardly see 5 feet in front of you and people were still trying to play the slots. The Tribal police had to go in and threaten to arrest people for them to finally clear the whole building.
My cousin is a firefighter and we recently just got back from Vegas. He noticed there’s nowhere near enough sprinklers on the roof of Ceasars. I remember him saying “this is DEFINITELY not up to code, that’s ridiculous”. Looks like some of these casinos still haven’t learned
Why were you on the roof at Caesar’s??
@@_b_u_l_l_s_h_a_r_k_This person was obviously referring to the ceiling. Don’t be an ass.
"What caused the fire?" Yes.
Was looking for this comment
It was a restaurant called the deli that was in the back that caught fire. It was a pie case. That had a short and that it was smoldering for a while. by the time someone saw it it already consumed the wall
Thanks for making this video. Sadly, there is no memorial for the victims. Their legacy lives on in improved hotel fire safety and building codes all over the world!
Negligence of infrastructure and buildings is going to be the next biggest wave of disasters in America. Most roads, bridges, and major buildings lack proper thought through safety standards that newer building standards just would not have allowed.
"But those are job killing regulations!!!!"
“What caused this fire, and could it have been prevented? The answer to both of the questions, is ‘Yes’”
That got me good
Companies don't care how many people die as long as they can save money. When disaster strikes, their insurance company pays out, not them. Sure, their insurance cost may go up but it will be only a fraction of what the upgrades will cost. This is just "good business moves". 🤬
$200k in upgrades would've saved them $50 million in damages.
I’ve read about this incident several times. Greed and neglect really screwed this building badly and many of those lost.
Joelma Sao Paulo 1974 was a horror.
I lived in North Las Vegas when this happened. The traffic on the highway backed up and you could see the smoke from where we were. It was as terrifying as the Rault Center Fire in New Orleans where the hook and ladder trucks didn't have enough extensions to get to the salon on the top floor. Of the several women who jumped, only one survived landing on the next roof, 9 floors down. Wasn't aware of the issue with the codes at the MGM. The Rault Center was, I believe, up to code, but it wasn't enough when the fire fighters couldn't get water up to the fire, or ladders, or even men.
I remember this happening. I was a kid and the images were so vivid for the time. My dad was a firefighter and they reviewed this extensively to learn from it
Greed and Negligence. Humanity's downfall
In 1980, I was working on a case involving slot machines sales to casinos (lets say wiseguys were involved) so had more than usual interest in this fire disaster. No doubt it had a lasting impact on fire safety in motels/hotels and casinos. The MGM actually bought insurance after the disaster to cover their losses. It took advantage of their premiums being invested increasing the amount of money available but less net out of pocket after their regular policies covered. There was also a kinda sick joke involving this disaster - "The Gamblers Special: Fly on a DC-10, have a Ford Pinto rent a car and stay in the MGM Grand.
I worked at a casino in St. Louis for quite a while. There were several people I worked with who were working at MGM that night. They had a lot of stories. The one that still sends chills up my spine was about the slot machines. There are a lot of slots players that are a special breed. These players had to be dragged, literally kicking and screaming, away from their machines, cussing the whole time. Then they had to be held back as they kept trying to run back into the building. It both blows my mind and freaks me out. But knowing what I’ve seen with die-hard slots players, I can see it happening. I’m so glad I worked in table games. Most of the people I worked with who were there left Vegas right after it all happened. I can only imagine.
I was good friends with a lady who went by Dotty, who was a Lead Nurse who worked this disaster. She said even 30 years afterward she'd still wake up occasionally with a whiff of burning flesh in her nose. It led her to have a stress exacerbated stroke a few years later that left her in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. She passed away about 10 years ago and I still think about her from time to time.
You should do one on the Ykua Bolaños supermarket fire, where the exits were closed due to orders from above, as the owners thought people would start looting.
400 people died.
It happened on the 1st of August, 2004. No social media back then so the way me and my family found out was when we turned the TV on and the first thing we saw was a completely charred corpse being carried away by the firefighters.
Fire is one of the greatest and dangerous discoveries in history
Well we’d be fucked without it😳✌🏻
This fire happened when I was a senior in high school. It absolutely floored me that they didn’t have nor were required to have pull fire alarms in hotels in Nevada. The fact that the POLCY of the hotel was to wait 5 minutes before calling the fire department was unconscionable. But I do remember the flurry of activity it set off in the legislature here where I live as they went through state laws concerning fire safety standards making sure it couldn’t happen here. There were people who bitched about the cost of upgrading safety systems, but having burn victims testify and show their scars up close and personal to them tended to shut them up pretty fast.
As you mentioned the fire burned at over 2000 degrees which is unusual. Contributing to that was the absence of fire curtains in the false ceiling. When it gets that hot, the air will ignite….causing a flash over condition. That contributed to many of the deaths. I remember it well.
Surely this was the first such fire disaster in history and thankfully will be the last given the lessons this has taught us
I live in Vegas and have done HVAC here for 15 years. The original mgm tower which turned into ballys was mind blowing how low the ceilings were. I can't imagine being in there during a fire. What a nightmare situation
It's a shame that this is how we have to learn the consequences of greed and negligence. A little bit of preventative measures could have fixed this before it happened.
History's lessons are brutal and vicious, yet we still pay no attention to them until they slap us in the face.
I grew up in Las Vegas. The stories of the community pulling together in this time of tragedy reminds me of the community response to the shooting in 2017.
You can call us sin city all you like, but when it comes down to it, it's a city of quiet heroes
I knew a helicopter pilot who was involved in this deal.He said it was really a very scary experience.
I watch lots of Casual Criminalist, but I don’t think any of those has ever made me feel sadder than this video, especially the part about the newlyweds.😔
It’s not fair that doing nothing over doing the right thing is so often an acceptable decision to make in the eyes of the people who have the power to do something, especially when it’s until it’s too late.
I watched this on the news. It gave me the habit of checking the evacuation maps that are usually on the inside of the hotel door. And then making a specific trip out of my room, to find two or three fire exits. I never want to die like this.
Would just like to say that today the MGM Grand is a totally different hotel… but the original is still there as the Horseshoe hotel today
PTSD is hell... Lots of ways to experience it. And it's hard to predict what will trigger it.
Definitely watching a video though. Images, smells, sounds...
I was 4 years old when this happened and even now I remember seeing it on the news.
What started the fire? "Yes"
The fire was at the original MGM Grand. The property ended up changing hands to Bally's, the slot machine manufacturer. The name was sold to a new gaming company that focuses on regional casinos like Chicago. That Company is who bought the Tropicana and is going to build a resort around the A's MLB stadium.
The tower involved in the MGM Grand fire is now the Horseshoe. Same building, obviously well updated.
Crazy thing is it’s still in operation as Horseshoe Casino and the main floor is set up the same.
I imagine a lot of things when I think of Las Vegas hotels “incredible luxury” is definitely not one of them!
Now i know why i got a warning. This was heart breaking. I've seen tons of stories of terrible things, but I'm crying right now
A live in a small town near Harrisburg, PA with lots of history and last year I randomly discovered a forgotten fire fighters report on what looked like a literal nuke excplosion back in the 60's that transpired after a train derailment on an intersection a few miles outside of town I cross over everyday. The train was carrying several tanker cars full of petroleum and highly flammable chemicals, which ended up in a pile up after it derailed early in the morning. At first when firefighters arrived, nothing happened. But at some point a spark ignited the pile and a mushroom cloud the size of downtown Harrisburg rose 1,000 ft into the air lighting everyone in the vicinity on fire. The only reason I know how big it was, is because there was a single photo saved, taken from town and it literally looks like a nuclear bomb went off. I was shocked, because somehow, literally no one knows about it. There definitely must have been some kind of cover up going on here cuz I don't understand how an entire town could forget something like that.
I live in the area as well. Is there anywhere I can go to read about this?
I read about this case extensively some years ago, it's truly heartbreaking. Most of the lives lost can be written down to negligence and cost cutting.
My parents spent part of their honeymoon in the MGM Grand 5 years before this. My sister then spent her honeymoon in the new hotel decades later. It is sad that all because there are less fires people are becoming complacent since fire can spread quickly and kill fast.
9:59 “What caused the fire? And the answer to the question…. was YES.” 😂😂
This disaster is one of the events I cover in my safety course. I have a number of materials on this event. Thank you for focusing on the key critical elements. I think you did a very good job of describing a very bad event.
I would like to include a link to your video as part of the materials in my course.
I feel like every time I see Simon Whistler now, he’s on a different channel than the last time
Vegas also had the Pepcon explosion. Blew out windows 20 miles away & destroyed a Marshmallow factory nearby
I think you mean Repconn..... lol
@@theodoreaguglia8902can’t tell if your being serious or not…
@@happyChappy96621 Fallout? Repconn was supposed to be Pepcon in the game, I had never even heard about Pepcon till I played Fallout.
True. That was about 1987. I was at work at The Stage Door Casino across from the MGM Grand when that happened.
!0:00 Wait, so what caused the fire, was "Yes."
companies endagering their customers for profit, seems like a normal day to me
10:00 "What caused the fire?" Yes
The owner of the corporation I worked for here in Memphis, narrowly escaped. He and his wife had gotten up early that morning to have breakfast with an “associate”. They finished about 8:00am and couldn’t get any closer than 2 blocks from the MGM. When they left Vegas they had all new luggage and clothes because their clothes and luggage “smelled like death” was what they both said upon their return to Memphis.
Why did you put associate in quotation marks?
“What caused the fire?… Yes”
Brilliant
I got off work at Circus Circus and drove down the Strip. The road was empty. I found a parking spot at the Dunes across the street and watched the flames shoot out the front door. What a morning that was.
I was 12 yrs old when this happened. In the summer of 1980, my family and I stayed at a camp ground in Las Vegas. It was attached to one of the hotels there. I remember we ate in the coffee shop inside the MGM. The fire was breaking news at the time. My family and I were stunned. We had just been there just a few short months before. It was very sad about the people who lost their lives to the fire.
Three months after this fire the Hilton in Vegas had a bad fire too.
That same hotel became Ballys, and is now the Horseshoe. A similar but much less deadly fire occurred a year later at the Hilton with the same safety violations, and that's what really forced the city's hand to massively overhaul building regulations.
Native Las Vegan here, born a year after this fire happened. It's one of those tragedies that was still mentioned a lot and I'd randomly see footage of either on the news or educational videos at school.
Between this, Pepcon, and the Route 91 shooting, Vegas has been through a lot.
I remember this happening live on television when I was 12 years old. My parents were freaking out about how such a thing could happen in that day and age.
I can remember, as a kid, watching on TV the helicopters around the top of the hotel. I also remember reading the account of the first firefighters on the scene, from the Clark County FD house across the street. That fireball rolling through the casino must have been a real wake-up call to what they were facing.
Wow! I had no clue. More of this please. I remember the 5 star hotel that burned down in Dubai ? Saudi? A very prominent place. That really changed the way I look at high rise hotels and penthouse suites. I stay on lower floors when I travel
Man do they ever want us to forget, first time in ages I got the "this is intended for mature audiences" thing before the vid and had to click ok.
Almost 20 years ago in July of 2004 the condo my family lived in burned down. Myself and my youngest brother were out of the state at the time but my mom, middle brother, aunt and cousin all had to jump out of the 3rd story window. All of then lived but my brother was the only one that got out without injury. Fire safety has always been a big deal to me since.
This man is on my for you page constantly and its never for the same channel, bravo 😅🙌🏻
My friend is a tour helicopter pilot in LV and they train for this exact eventuality. They do roof landings and loading drills. It’s not if but when. Thankfully smoking in bed has gone out of fashion but corporate greed and the speed in which the resorts open can only mean rushed building jobs which means mistakes are being made daily.
This fire was studied in my fire academy class. Absolutely wild
Tim Connor: There's a fire on the deli! Call the fire department!
Security: Have you had any training in identifying fires?
Tim Connor: No, I'm a supervising engineer doing my daily inspections at the MGM!
Security: So you aren't specialized in fire identification ... we'll send some down after breakfast to verify...
9:59 "what caused the fire?" 10:03 "yes"
We still talk about this incident in Emergency Management in the southwest US. Many lessons to be learned.
Nice piece Simon
I seldom travel but my children gifted me the Beatles show at the MGM so we went! The first thing I counted were the smoke detectors-next, how many doors there were between our room and the stairwell. My daughter thought I was being paranoid but as a disabled woman who already has trouble negotiating stairs I’d rather be ready. RIP to those who perished- I was only 17 in 1980 and hadn’t heard about it in New England
The worst disaster in Nevada history is actually their indefinite delay on opening the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste long-term Repository
I find it hard to believe that any company would skirt on fire safety. The loss of property should be enough, but like the guy said in Robocop 2, "They'll have relatives. They always do."
My grandpas best friend and his girlfriend both died in this fire. The girlfriend suffocated in their room, but he tried to make it back up to their room to get her and died in the hallway..... it destroyed my grandpa and he never got over it. RIP Thomas Spagnola
My friend worked for the phone company then, and it was her day off. She came out of a store, saw the smoke, and went to work. Years later, I worked in a casino security department. We were FORBIDDEN to say fire on the radio, we had to use code numbers. On July 4th and New years eve, instead of fireworks, we had 402 works.
As a school teacher, I had a kid go down in my class. I called the front office on the PA and said I needed an ambulance.
They said OK.
I tended to the child the best I could and made sure she didn't stop breathing (she didn't). After several minutes, a security guard entered the room, looked at the kid on the floor, and said into his radio "OK call the ambulance."
I am a college graduate and responsible legally for the protection of the children, but they would not take my word for it.
But the minimum wage security guard they trusted?
Never believe that management has respect for the labor working under them.
2:37 i thought i was having a stroke 😂
Wow I stayed at MGM in 1993 and didn’t ever know about this !
British Vsauce :)
Love the videos, new sub, and their great, keep it up m8
Simon, thank you for everything you do. I've learned so much from you, if every teacher were like you I'd have learned so much more in school. To be honest the emotion you put into your pieces is what does it. This time has almost brought me to tears at the neglect of the casino and not a lot of teachers car reach people on an emotional level and so this time I must say. Thanks. Keep going, I want to learn so much!
Great video
One more video before I go to bed.
This video. 😳
You missed the part where they MGM realized they were underinsured and convinced a syndicate of insurers to underwrite _retroactive_ insurance. That’s actually where most of the litigation related to this case came from. Needless to say, it was the first and (to my knowledge) only time a retroactive insurance policy was ever sold. There were so many parties and attorneys that they literally had to use an arena for the courtroom!
This video got age restricted. Does that mean it's demonetized?
A Hotel I worked had a small fire. It was caught early and it was just minor damages with no one hurt. But it was definitely a change in perspective.
I can't even imagine how these people felt during, and feel long after.
Edit: For typo
I could listen to him just say the word fire for hours
I’ve stayed at this hotel tower many of times very roomy rooms it’s sad what happened
ghosts
Nothing better than having to "confirm" before watching a video
Earliest I've ever been to a into the shadows upload :)
Love your content mate respect and peace from Australia:)
Hate from America
A few months before the MGM Grand burnt down my uncle and his wife treated us to a performance called Hallelujah Hollywood that featured the MGM trademark Lion. Later his wife who was a Las Vegas native said the poor Lion was doped up so it could hang out in the lobby and be trotted out on stage as the show stopper. A month after the fire we stayed at the hotel across from the MGM and it had a very ghostly appearance with the open windows with the white drapes blowing in the wind. It reminded me of an abandoned ship.