Casino Blaze: Still More Questions Than Answers

One day after a massive fire damaged a section of the Empress Casino in Joliet, officials on Saturday said they didn't know how long the facility would be closed, or how the local community would be financially impacted.

The fire started about 10 a.m. Friday in a pavilion area of the casino undergoing a $50 million renovation. No one was hurt, and the main part of the Egyption-themed gambling barge saw only minor damage.

"We plan to reopen the casino as soon as possible, and it is our intent to build a new pavilion on the existing site," general manager Frank Quigley said in a recorded hot line message to employees.

Officials said welders working on a kitchen duct system may have accidentally sparked the blaze. On Saturday, officials from the casino and the Illinois Gaming Board planned to meet with insurance companies.

Quigley promised employees to have information on pay and benefits soon.

"At this time, I don't have those answers," he said.

"However, I give you my word that we will do our best, our very best, to take care of all of you."

The casino employs more than 800 workers and, and after the nearby Harrah's Casino, is the second largest single taxpayer to the city of Joliet. In February alone, the Empress paid $837,000 in casino taxes to Joliet and more than $1.8 million to the state.

Penn National Gaming is the Wyomissing, Pa.-based parent company of Empress.

Copyright Associated Press

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