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What was the impact of the fire at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas?

On November 21, 1980, a short circuit in electrical wiring caused fire to break out at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Eighty-five people were killed and six hundred others were injured. Because it had taken eight years to construct the hotel, the building codes (regulations for safe building construction) had been improved and the hotel no longer met the standards for high-rise buildings. This tragedy alerted the public to the danger of smoke inhalation as many people were injured by smoke, not flames. It also made clear the need to retrofit buildings—that is, modify them to incorporate later improvements.

Further Information: Clark County Nevada Fire Department. The MGM Grand Hotel Fire Investigation Report. [Online] Available

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