MGM Springfield Casino Evacuated Following Weekend Blaze

Posted on: November 10, 2024, 02:54h. 

Last updated on: November 10, 2024, 02:54h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More

Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

Massachusetts’ MGM Springfield casino was evacuated after a fire broke out Saturday that was linked to a restaurant at the gaming property.

The blaze was largely limited to duct work linked to the eatery. It caused smoke to billow up to the upper floors of the complex.

The Springfield Fire Department first was alerted at 5:39 p.m. about the fire. Sprinklers were activated, too.

Guests and employees were evacuated and remained out of the building for several hours.

Initially, firefighters were told that just one floor of the casino was getting filled with smoke.

But fire crews discovered that smoke had spread to several floors of the building. Flames appeared to be limited to ducts running between the kitchen in Chandler Steakhouse to the building’s roof, according to MassLive, a regional news site.

Western Mass News, another regional news site, reported smoke was seen on the fourth, fifth, and sixth floors of the casino.

Fire Crews Went to Roof

Firefighters battled the fire on the building’s roof. They extinguished sparks and flames coming from the ducts. Part of the roof also caught on fire, according to news reports.

The fire was brought under control and firefighters spent hours working on getting smoke out of the rest of the building.

A few hours later, workers and visitors were allowed to return to the most of the casino.

Steakhouse Temporarily Closed

Chandler Steakhouse will be temporarily closed to the public until 5 p.m. Wednesday, according to a post on the eatery’s website. The restaurant typically closes on Mondays and Tuesdays.

There were no initial reports of injuries anywhere in the building either involving firefighters, staff, or visitors.

Fire officials didn’t provide a damage estimate to repair the structure. It’s not immediately known if smoke was completely cleared from the casino complex as of Saturday night.

On Sunday, the Springfield Fire Department’s Arson and Bomb Squad still were searching for the cause of the blaze.

In total, six fire engines, three trucks, a rescue vehicle, and three chiefs responded to the complex.

MGM Springfield Sale Rumor

Earlier this year, Bloomberg News reported MGM Resorts was considering the sale of the MGM Springfield. MGM Springfield opened some six years ago. MGM Resorts invested nearly $1B to construct the complex.

The casino has some 1,500 slot machines, a poker room, and provides numerous table games.