On Saturday morning at MGM Springfield Casino in Massachusetts, a fire that broke out within a restaurant’s ductwork prompted evacuation of the facility and led to smoke spreading throughout its upper levels – though its source remained contained within said restaurant’s ductwork.
At 5:39 p.m., Springfield Fire Department officials were alerted of an emergency situation requiring immediate intervention, with sprinkler systems activating shortly afterwards and both guests and staff being evacuated for several hours to prevent further issues from developing.
At first thought to only affect one floor, fire crews soon discovered that smoke had pervaded several levels in the casino and could be traced back to ducts running from Chandler Steakhouse’s kitchen up onto its rooftop location.
Efforts to Contain the Blaze
Firefighting teams were dispatched to the roof where they worked tirelessly to put out sparks and flames emanating from damaged ductwork, including some that caught on fire but was brought under control shortly thereafter. Furthermore, efforts were undertaken for hours afterwards in an effort to ventilate smoke out of the premises so workers and patrons could return to many parts of the casino eventually.
Temporary Closure of Restaurant
Due to this incident, Chandler Steakhouse announced it would remain closed until Wednesday evening as per its regular opening schedule on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Though injuries were possible from this fire, no reports emerged of injuries to firefighters, employees, or visitors as a result. Estimates on damages due to this fire remain unknown at this point in time and how well smoke clearing efforts worked were still unclear as of Saturday night.
Investigation into the cause of the fire remains ongoing with Springfield Fire Department’s Arson and Bomb Squad leading it. A response team consisting of six engines, three ladder trucks, a rescue vehicle and three chief officers was assembled.
Speculation on Future Sale
As reported by Bloomberg News earlier in 2019, speculation surfaced surrounding a possible sale of MGM Springfield Casino six years after it opened, representing nearly $1 billion of investment by MGM Resorts into building this complex containing 1,500 slot machines, poker room and various table games.
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