Casino's sprinklers were off before fire
Posted March 24, 2009 11:00 pm
Joliet's building inspector says the sprinkler system of the Empress Casino's pavilion was disconnected when a fire destroyed the building.
David Mackley said Tuesday the sprinklers had been shut off just before Friday's blaze because work was being done on them.
The fire doors also weren't working, but he says it isn't unusual for both items to be temporarily out of commission when a building is undergoing a renovation like the $50 million project at the Empress.
The casino itself wasn't heavily damaged, and the fire sparked by a construction worker was contained to the pavilion area.
Mackley says workers had a fire watch in place and fire extinguishers, but the fire spread too quickly.
The blazed burned for about 12 hours.
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