LAS VEGAS (AP) — A fire official says it could be a couple of weeks before investigators know what sparked a blaze that caused more than $400,000 in damage to the roof of a retail annex at the Bellagio resort on the Las Vegas Strip.
Deputy Clark County Fire Chief Jeff Buchanan said Friday officials suspect an exterior electrical or lighting malfunction started the blaze late Thursday atop the Via Bellagio shops.
Tourist Sean Kim of Los Angeles said the 11 p.m. Bellagio fountains show went on as scheduled, with the “Pink Panther Theme” playing while firefighters battled wind-whipped flames.
Buchanan told reporters the work took 19 minutes. He said that instead of using a roundabout route upstairs, firefighters attacked from the ground first and then used a ladder to get on the roof.
Kim shot cellphone video from the sidewalk while gusty winds whipped flames across the roof of the Via Bellagio shops.
Kim said he realized something was wrong when plastic-smelling smoke began to billow, police started evacuating people from the shopping area, and melting building material dripped fireballs toward the fountain lake.
Fire officials said no one was injured and damage was limited to the roof of the mall. The cause of the fire isn’t immediately known.
County spokesman Erik Pappa says officials found no building code violations at the resort.
A hotel official said shops and restaurants reopened at the Bellagio’s retail annex while authorities assessed fir damage.
MGM Resorts International spokeswoman Yvette Monet said Friday that damage was mostly above a Starbucks at the Via Bellagio shops and is still being assessed.
Monet said employees evacuated from stores like Tiffany & Co. and Chanel, but operations weren’t interrupted at the casino and the 36-story hotel.
