Casino Sprinklers Disabled Before Fire

The sprinkler system in the Empress Casino pavilion had been disconnected and fire doors were not working when a fire destroyed the building, the city's building inspector said Tuesday.

The sprinklers and fire doors were temporarily out of service as part of a $50 million renovation project, said David Mackley, director of inspection services for Joliet.

That in itself was not unusual for a project under construction, he said, noting that work crews had a fire watch in place for a safety measure.

But once a welding job on a grease duct in the ceiling area ignited a fire on Friday morning, workers on site using fire extinguishers were unable to stop the blaze from spreading.

"Everybody has described it as the perfect storm," Mackley said.

The welder "was in an enclosed area in the roof," Mackley said. "The reports were that as soon as the roof caught on fire he called for the extinguishers. They just couldn't get it."

The sprinkler system had been turned off that day because of work being done on it, Mackley said.

Fire doors that were part of fire walls were still in the process of being installed but were not yet operational.

"All of the fire suppression and safety features of the building were compromised because of the construction," he said.

The Empress was in the middle of a $50 million remodeling job largely aimed at redesigning the pavilion building and its restaurants.

Mackley described the work being done at the time the fire started as "very normal course," including the disconnection of the sprinkler system and the work on the fire doors and walls.

"It's commonplace on every job," he said. "That's why you have the fire watch, and the fire extinguishers there."

Fire Chief Joe Formhals said void areas in the roof, spaces that were created by remodeling projects over the years, made the fire impossible to control.

"That fire was well ahead of us before we could get a handle on it," Formhals said.

The fire started when a worker was "welding a grease duct in the kitchen area overhead," Formhals said. "That's when the fire took off. It immediately got into the void space."

Another factor in the fire was the large amount of lumber in the construction of the building.

The fire was not declared under control until 12 hours after it started. Fire crews were still hosing down hot spots the next afternoon. Even on Tuesday morning, some debris rekindled but was quickly doused without causing any damage.

The general contractor on the job was W.E. O'Neil Construction Co. in Chicago. The company referred calls about the fire to Penn National Gaming, which owns the Empress.

Penn National spokesman Brent Burkhart declined to comment, saying company representatives still needed to review fire department reports on the blaze.

The fire department determined the fire to be accidental and caused by the welding incident.

"It was normal course of construction, and it just went bad," Mackley said.

The pavilion interior was being disassembled while crews worked on the renovations, he said. A tunnel was set up for customers to walk through the pavilion to the casino. The tunnel itself was constructed with a steel roof and other fire resistant materials.

The Empress evacuated all customers quickly and safely. The only injury occurred when one woman stumbled and twisted her ankle after leaving the building.

The casino itself is built on barges sitting on the Des Plaines River and is separate from the pavilion building. While the pavilion tunnel was the main entrance and exit from the casino, Mackley said there are several other exits as well.

Customers were evacuated through the tunnel. Those interviewed after they exited said they did not notice any fire.

Copyright SunTimes

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