JOLIET, Ill. (STNG) ― As a fire swept through the Empress Casino complex for nearly nine hours today, firefighters gave up trying to save the ballroom and the pavilion that housed the restaurants and gift shop.
Instead, they concentrated their all of their efforts on saving the casino and the two-story office complex in the rear of the building on Route 6.
Joliet fire Chief Joe Formhals said an endloader was brought to the scene this afternoon to sever the walls connecting the barge-style casino and office complex from the burning building. Firefighters had a hard time dousing the blaze due to extensive remodeling work that has taken place several times during the building's 18-year history.
"We had to break through two or three ceilings," Formhals said. "All of the add-ons and improvements caused a lot of void spaces. You could be inside the building and not see the fire overhead."
Since firefighters could not hamper the blaze with the use of four ladder trucks spraying about 6,000 to 8,000 gallons of water from the roofs down into the building, the fire spread vertically from the ballroom east to the valet parking area.
Formhals said nearby hydrants couldn't provide enough water to fight the large blaze. The department was helped by water trucks from departments, as far as Mazon, bringing in water and heading back out for more. In the evening, the ramp from Interstate 55 onto Route 6 was closed so fire and water trucks could get through.
What started out as a small kitchen fire around 10 a.m. Friday ignited into a raging blaze that would appear to be die down one minute, only to flare up again. As of 7 p.m., nearly nine hours after the fire had begun, firefighters were starting to get control of the fire, but hadn't extinguished it yet.
Formhals said an off-duty Joliet firefighter was at the casino when the alarm went off. He said the blaze was sparked by construction in an area where new seats were being added. The work is part of a $50 million renovation under way at Empress. Nearby kitchen grease traps and stored drywall may have helped start and fuel the blaze.
The exact cause of the fire won't be determined until the state fire marshal investigates, Formhals said. He was not sure if the sprinkler system was working at the time.
Bob Bennet of Joliet was in the casino around 10 a.m. when a voice came over the PA system.
"They told us we had to evacuate, because there was a small fire," Bennet said. "Everyone got up and left. It went well. There was no one panicking, no pushing or shoving."
At first, gamblers were told they would be able to get back in after about an hour, but later were informed by security guards that the casino would be closed for the day.
Laura Carter, of Orland Park, had hoped to cash her $94 voucher but was told the vouchers would be good for about a year.
Joliet City Councilman Tom Giarrante was on the scene and called the fire "unbelievable."
"The timing is brutal," Giarrante said. "We are going to have to sit down with our city manager and find out what the impact will be or maybe have a special meeting. At least no one was hurt. That is a direct result of a lot of fire drills."
General Manager Frank Quigley thanked his employees for their professionalism when the fire broke out.
"All kinds of kudos to you guys for pulling off an extremely professional evacuation," Quigley told employees.
About 300 people were evacuated when the fire was detected, and there was only one injury: a Chicago woman fell on her way to the parking lot.
Quigley said it is too soon to tell the extent of the damage or to guess how long the casino's nearly 900 workers will be off.
The casino employees were sent home during the afternoon with a hotline number to call to find out the status of their jobs. Some had their purses and keys locked up in the casino, but they weren't allowed inside the still-burning building to retrieve them. The company provided transportation to employees that needed it.
"This is very disappointing. We were all very excited about our $50 million renovation," Quigley said.
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