The fire fueled with toxic smoke had only one place to go and that was up. Due to faulty smoke dampers, the fire was able to get into the hotel ventilation system.
Don Feldman was a baker on duty that morning. Along with John Scott and Clarence White, he had stayed behind when word began to spread of a fire. As he explained at a panel discussion on the subject that I moderated five years ago as part of "Untold Stories", he felt that staying behind to continue working wasn't putting himself in danger because, after all, it was the MGM and surely they would take care of the problem before it got too big.
As the smoke intensified and the lights began to flicker, Feldman realized that staying behind perhaps wasn't the best choice.
The three men sought refuge in the walk-in freezer. As time passed, Feldman would go out and try to raise someone on the phone to let them know where they were. The phone line was dead. Clarence White finally decided to go for help.
While White was gone, Feldman wrote a message on the back of pie liner. He began to think they might not make it out alive. When they could take the cold no longer, Feldman and Scott decided to try and find a way out.
As they inched down the dark and smoky hallway, they found White's body. He had died of a heart attack.
They made their way to the stairs and up to the casino area. The casino was covered in water and windows were blown out. Bodies were strewn about. But, luckily, firefighters saw them and helped them to safety.
Elsewhere, the toxic smoke was making its way through the ventilation system. Hotel guests were roused by other guests in the hallway or by knocks on the door. The fire alarms were strangely quiet.
Many guests opted to take the elevators down to the casino. Of those that did, many died in those elevators.
Others ran towards the stairs and began the descent down. Many encountered thick black smoke and had to turn back. While some returned to their rooms (those who had their room keys could, those who left them behind on nightstands and in purses found themselves locked out), others raced up the stairwell for the roof.
As the fire raged on, guests could be seen on balconies and at windows begging for help. Helicopters from around the valley, including Nellis Air Force Base, helped rescue rooftop guests. Some 2,000 guests made their way to the rooftop hoping to be rescued.
Fire ladders only went as high as the 9th floor but the hotel was 26 stories tall. Guests on higher floors screamed for help. Some jumped. Hotel workers used scaffolding to try and reach and rescue guests on higher floors.
