Illinois Casino’s Sprinklers Were Off When Fire Destroyed Building

March 26, 2009

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The city building inspector of suburban Joliet says the sprinkler system of the Empress Casino’s pavilion was disconnected when a fire destroyed the building.

David Mackley said the sprinklers had been shut off just before Friday’s blaze because work was being done on them.

Mackley says the fire doors also weren’t working. He says it isn’t unusual for both items to be temporarily out of commission when a building is undergoing a renovation like the $50 million project at the Empress.

The casino wasn’t heavily damaged, and the fire sparked by a construction worker was contained to the pavilion area.

Mackley says workers had a fire watch in place and fire extinguishers, but the fire spread too quickly.

The blazed burned for about 12 hours.

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Latest Comments

  • March 27, 2009 at 9:11 am
    another guy named Rick says:
    ...the pavilion is a separate structure from the casino. The Empress is one of the 'river boat' casinos in Illinois. The casino is actually on the river. The pavillion has mee... read more
  • March 26, 2009 at 3:36 am
    HPR Rocky says:
    I am more interested in the construction, the cause of the loss and the estimated amount of the loss including any possible loss of income.
  • March 26, 2009 at 2:20 am
    WGASA says:
    Does it REALLY matter that much?
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