A seven-alarm fire on a hotel roof forced gamblers and guests out of Foxwoods Resort Casino. No one was injured according to the casino which is run by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe.

First officials evacuated the top three floors of the Great Cedar Hotel, one of three Foxwoods hotels and then later evacuated the entire 312-room building. More than 280 guests were forced to leave the hotel were being taken to a hospitality lounge.

Fire officials do not yet know what caused the fire.

One player said, "All I was told was that we had to leave for safety reasons but I didn't know there was a fire until I saw the fire trucks outside."

The fire was out by early evening, and crews began peeling back the steel roof where authorities believe it started. The fire broke out between a mechanical equipment room near the roof and an exterior hall.
More than 50 firefighters from the tribe and nearby towns responded.


- 2008-01-29