Visitreno

[JD]

For those that haven't figured out a way to read the (no longer free) Reno Gazette Journal, here's an item related to the - 11 degrees at Tahoe recently:

Jan 15: Tuesday morning update:

All four major casinos at Stateline reported frozen pipes during a recent cold snap that saw record-breaking low temperatures.

Tahoe Douglas Fire Marshal Eric Guevin told the Lake Tahoe News that the damage started Jan. 13 at the Horizon Casino Resort when a pipe froze and burst near a loading dock. On Monday, pipes froze at Harrah's, Harvey's and the MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa.

The most extensive damage came at around 8 a.m. Monday at Harrah's when a pipe on the 18th floor froze and broke, flooding the tower with thousands of gallons of water, Guevin said. Elevators were shut down for hours, and water seeped into restaurants on the upper floors and down the elevator shafts, he said.

At around 11 a.m., a sprinkler head broke at Harrah's, discharging water into the high-limit gaming area and forcing evacuations.

“The engineering department was quick to respond in all the issues and make it safe for everyone and minimize the water damage and get the fire system back online for the safety of patrons,” Guevin told the Lake Tahoe News.

The next pipe to go was at 11:30am at Harveys. A fire head discharged over an employee at a jewelry store. The gaming floor then began to flood.

At MontBleu on Monday afternoon a zone near the casino area by the front doors had frozen pipes, Guevin said.

The temperature in South Lake Tahoe on Monday was a record minus 11 degrees.

12:10 p.m. update:

STATELINE, Nev. (AP) — Fire officials at Lake Tahoe say they’ve restored all the fire protection systems at four casinos after sub-zero temperatures caused pipes to freeze and break at each of the high rises on Tahoe’s south shore.

Tahoe-Douglas Fire Marshal Eric Guevin (GAY’vohn) says it was “a little crazy for a while” as they responded to one incident after another when the temperature dropped to a record minus 11 degrees Monday morning.

There’s no damage estimate yet. Guevin said Tuesday the worst appeared to be at Harrah’s where broken pipes sent thousands of gallons into the main, 18-story tower and a high-roller gambling area.

Now he says they are worried about vacation homes in the area that may be sitting vacant with frozen pipes that could burst as the weather warms.

[BC Dave]

The Forest Buffet looks more like Superman's Fortress of Solitude with giant icicles hanging from the ceiling. Several players at the "Waterfall of Winnings" slots in the high limits area, thought they'd hit the jackpot when the sprinkler heads went off. (source - BC Dave's made up news.)

I decided to edit this post when, on sober reflection, my above comments seemed somewhat callous. We stayed at Harrah's Tahoe only once, (in 2001) and it was the nicest hotel we'd ever been in. I've also had the good fortune to have a window seat in their Forest Buffet many times. I hope the damage turns out to be minimal.

[Mammothgambler]

Jeez! I lost a wheel on my suitcase switching hotels that day (which resulted in an almost 2 mile bag drag in the snow) and I thought that was bad enough!

This might be kinda opinionated, but: how come the most damage occurred at the finest Tahoe casinos? I mean, really...all those gallons of water could've easily swept through the Horizon without damage, because last time I checked, it was a big ole empty place with no tables and the same machines I was playing 10 years ago!

I hope all the workers and guests are okay. That's pretty major stuff!

Mammothgambler

[spdmrcht]

Now I know why I got all the good offers from Tahoe!
I need to bring my wet suit, with the long handles!