The month of November has two of the most horrific fires in US history. The MGM Grand Hotel fire happened on November 21, 1980 in Las Vegas. The building is still is use but has been sold and is now Bally's. The fire killed 84 people and is the third most tragic hotel fire in modern US history. It was determined an electrical short started the fire in an area that housed a restaurant known as The Deli. The area did not have sprinkler coverage because it was thought the area would be occupied 24 hours a day and a fire would be quickly noticed. The Deli had changed its hours to less than 24 hours. Most of the deaths occurred due to smoke inhalation on upper floors that had little damage. Staircases that would not allow occupants reentry on to floors other than the top floor and bottom floors greatly increased the number of deaths.
The Coconut Grove fire in Boston on November 28, 1942 is still the deadliest nightclub fire is US history. The fire killed 492 people. The building's capacity was 460 but over 1000 people had crowded inside. The fire was started by a busboy using a match to help see in a darken basement. The fire was accelerated by the use of very flammable decorations.
