The MGM Grand Hotel fire occurred on November 21, 1980 (The MGM Grand is now Bally’s Las Vegas). The fire killed 84 people. The MGM Grand fire is the third worst hotel fire in US history. There were approximately 5,000 people in the hotel at the time of the fire. There were reportedly over 700 injuries. 84 died.
Three months later, February 10, 1981, another major hotel fire occurred at the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel where 8 people perished. As a result of the deadly hotel fires, Las Vegas passed a rigorous sprinkler code for all hotel and casino properties. Since the installation of fire sprinklers, there has not been a loss of life hotel fire in Las Vegas.
The worst loss of life hotel fire is the December 7, 1946 Winecoff Hotel fire, Atlanta, GA that killed 119 people. The next worst fire was the Dupont Plaza Hotel fire in Puerto Rico on December 31, 1986 where 97 lives were lost.
Posted by Walt Beattie 
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