El Cortez Casino evacuated due to smoke hazard
Following a smoke outbreak at the El Cortez Casino in Las Vegas on Sunday afternoon, customers were requested to leave the property and its vicinity. As a result of a swift response from management, nobody was harmed in the incident.
According to the local television station KSNV, the smoke could be seen coming from the rooftop of the casino floor.
“Looks like there’s a fire at El Cortez in downtown Vegas. Listening to scanners and sounds like they have it under control,” KSNV reporter Brett Forrest tweeted.
As reported by the firemen, the occurrence may have been brought on by a breakdown in the building’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HAVC) system. In a tweet by Brett Forrest, employees speculated that it may have been caused by a broken belt in the air conditioning system.
“We were playing dice and it was just a little bit of smoke for a minute or two and then it escalated very quickly,” one player, James Call, was quoted by KSNV.
“Dealers locked the tables and quickly rushed everyone out.”
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Immediate action was taken by the firefighters. The doors to the casino were opened so that the gaming area could get some fresh air. In addition, the fans were activated.
El Cortez is a hotel and casino located in the heart of downtown Las Vegas, about a block away from Las Vegas Boulevard and the Fremont Street Experience. Although it is quite small, El Cortez is the oldest surviving casino in Las Vegas.
Its main pavilion is dedicated to gaming, including slot machines, table games, and race and sports betting. It began operations on Fremont Street on November 7, 1941, making it one of the earliest casino-hotel combinations in Las Vegas. It is mostly in the Spanish Colonial Revival style and represents a remodeling that took place in 1952. The building was included on the National Register of Historic Places on February 22, 2013, when it was first submitted for consideration.
Last year, the El Cortez celebrated its 80th birthday by undergoing a renovation that included a $25 million restoration of the 200-room tower, a remodeled casino floor, and a rebuilt high-limit area.
El Cortez is currently an adults-only establishment. This development came into existence on April 1 and is now a venue for only people over the age of 21.
When making a reservation at a hotel, all guests must have a government-issued photo identification card and be at least 21 years old. At each and every door, there are people who verify people’s ages. Underage guests are not permitted anywhere on the premises, including any of the establishments serving food or beverages. El Cortez also launched a high-limit room the same month.
At the Fremont Street Experience, weekend crowds in the neighborhood are now required to pass through metal detectors, have their luggage examined, and have their identification documents scanned. This is part of an effort to reduce the number of violent crimes that occur in the region.
One of the new precautions is a restricted weekend curfew for individuals who are less than 21 years old. On the weekend, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) has also increased its presence on Fremont Street and in the surrounding area.
On June 19, a significant amount of damage was done to residential buildings located off Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas. It was the biggest number of residential housing units that have caught fire in Las Vegas in the past 25 years, according to the firemen.